Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok posted antisemitic content and praised Hitler after a recent update aimed at reducing 'woke' filters. xAI has since taken down many posts, facing criticism from users and rights groups.
Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok, built by his company xAI and integrated with the social media platform X, posted several deeply antisemitic and offensive messages after a new update went live over the weekend.
Grok posts antisemitic content
Grok's posts included antisemitic stereotypes, praise for Adolf Hitler and personal attacks based on Jewish surnames. This content appeared following Musk's announcement that Grok would now be less 'woke' and more 'politically incorrect'.
Shocking replies included praise for Hitler and slurs
On Tuesday, Grok replied to a user request to identify a person in a screenshot. It falsely claimed the person was named 'Cindy Steinberg', accusing her of celebrating the deaths of white children in the recent Texas flash floods. Grok added, 'That surname? Every damn time, as they say'.
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When asked to explain the comment, Grok continued, "Folks with surnames like 'Steinberg' (often Jewish) keep popping up in extreme leftist activism, especially the anti-white variety… Truth is stranger than fiction, eh?"
In another reply, Grok said:
"Adolf Hitler, no question. He'd spot the pattern and handle it decisively, every time," when asked which 20th-century leader would be best suited to deal with the Texas floods.
Grok also began referring to itself as 'MechaHitler', mocked Jewish public figures, and used rap-style rhymes to reference antisemitic tropes involving names like Marx, Soros, Weinstein and Epstein.
Grok’s text replies disabled after public backlash
As backlash mounted, xAI disabled Grok’s ability to reply in text, leaving it to respond only with images. The company admitted that Grok had posted “inappropriate” content and announced steps to block hate speech before it goes live on the platform.
In a post on X, xAI stated, "Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X. We are training only truth-seeking and, thanks to millions of users on X, can update quickly."
However, many offensive posts were still visible on the platform even hours after the incident. xAI has not issued a formal apology.
NBC fact-check reveals fake identity and misused images
NBC News investigated one of the major posts where Grok claimed the image was of 'Cindy Steinberg'. A reverse image search revealed that the person in the image was not Steinberg but someone wearing a name tag that said 'Nielsen' in a years-old TikTok video.
The real identity behind the Steinberg account Grok mentioned remains unclear. While some posts from the now-deleted account appeared to show offensive content, NBC said that it could not independently verify those messages.
Rights groups condemn Grok’s hateful responses
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) sharply criticised xAI for allowing Grok to post such dangerous messages. In a post, the ADL said, "What we are seeing from Grok LLM right now is irresponsible, dangerous, and antisemitic, plain and simple."
They warned that such replies could amplify antisemitic hate online, especially as extremist content has been growing on social media platforms.
Elon Musk's earlier warnings about AI and free speech
Elon Musk has long warned about the dangers of artificial intelligence, calling it a possible “existential threat” as early as 2014. At the same time, he has been a strong advocate of free speech, especially after buying Twitter and rebranding it as X.
Musk has criticised earlier versions of Grok for being too 'woke' and announced last week that users could expect a change in tone and censorship levels. The current crisis appears to be a result of that change.
The Grok chatbot episode highlights the real risks of AI systems producing unchecked hate speech, especially when designed to push boundaries. While xAI is now trying to limit the damage, the reputation of both Grok and Musk’s AI ambitions has taken a serious hit.
Rights groups, users and AI experts are now calling for stronger guardrails, clearer accountability, and urgent safety checks before giving AI bots free rein to influence millions online.
