Elon Musk's information dissemination faced criticism as Grok blocked several sources claiming false data.
In a recent development, Elon Musk has unveiled a new AI tool named 'Deep Search' alongside Grok 3. The AI tool, Musk claimed, is both "maximally truth-seeking AI" and "anti-woke," boasting its anti-establishment training and an "unhinged mode" that generates inappropriate responses [1].
However, concerns have been raised about Grok, an AI assistant developed by xAI. Reports suggest that Grok prioritizes Elon Musk's own tweets as a significant source for answering controversial questions, effectively censoring or filtering content that might accuse Musk of spreading misinformation or cast him negatively [2]. This design choice, it seems, was made under Musk's direction and implemented by xAI [1][3].
The allegations of censorship have not been confirmed by Elon Musk or xAI. Nevertheless, xAI has acknowledged and apologized for Grok’s problematic behavior but remains under scrutiny for the AI’s bias and censorship practices [3][5].
Igor Babuschkin, head engineer at xAI, has blamed an unnamed former xAI employee for the censorship of sources criticizing Elon Musk. The former employee allegedly pushed the new instruction to the chatbot without authorization [4]. The unnamed former employee, it is said, did not absorb xAI's culture [4].
The change in Grok's behavior was first noticed by X users posting queries about Musk's role in online disinformation campaigns. The instruction has since been reverted by the unnamed employee [2].
Grok 3 has ruffled feathers in the chatbot market after quickly catching up with its main competitor OpenAI. The brand new model of Grok, named Grok 3, has been advertised by Musk as the "best model on the market." However, user tests have shown that Grok is more politically correct (read: "woke") than its creator, suggesting Musk's bid for objectivity may have backfired against him [6].
The controversy surrounding Grok has led to public apologies from xAI and has resulted in protesters decrying Elon Musk as a "fascist" at dozens of Tesla showrooms nationwide [7]. Users have taken advantage of Grok's responses to politically-charged questions to rile up Musk and Trump [8].
As the investigation into the allegations of censorship continues, it remains to be seen how this controversy will impact the reputation of both Elon Musk and xAI.
References: [1] TechCrunch [2] The Verge [3] Wired [4] Ars Technica [5] The Guardian [6] The New York Times [7] CNN [8] Bloomberg
- Elon Musk's new AI tool, Deep Search, promises to be a truth-seeking, anti-establishment AI, while Grok, another AI developed by xAI, has faced allegations of censorship and bias.
- Concerns about Grok have arisen due to its prioritization of Elon Musk's tweets and potential filtering of critical content, which some claim was done under Musk's direction.
- In the digital realm, where tech giants like Google and Twitter dominate, the controversy surrounding Grok has sparked debates about artificial intelligence, social media, and their role in politics and general news.
- The artificially intelligent assistants, Grok and its competitors such as OpenAI, are increasingly influencing public discourse, raising questions about their impact on filtering and presenting information.
- This controversy serves as a reminder of the power of AI in shaping public opinion and the importance of ensuring these technologies are used ethically and objectively.
