Why Elon Musk Is Furious and Publicly Raging at His Own AI Chatbot, Grok

For Elon, the call is coming from inside the house.

/ Artificial Intelligence/ Ai/ Chatbots/ Elon Musk

Image by Andrew Harnik via Getty / Futurism

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, thinks that The Atlantic and The BBC are credible, reputable sources for news and information. Which is funny, because Musk — who’s engaged in a years-long project to erode trust in legacy media organizations and even specific journalists — doesn’t. And now, he’s furious at his own AI chatbot.

The Musk-Grok tiff happened over the weekend, when a misinformation-spreading X-formerly-Twitter user @amuse posted an “article” about billionaire bogeymen (like George and Alex Soros, Bill Gates, and the philanthropic Ford Foundation) using deep pockets to “hijack federal grants” by “seeding” nongovernmental organizations with left-wing ideology.

As opposed to a thoughtful or reported analysis of how cash from wealthy donors has transformed American politics, the article was a deeply partisan, conspiracy-riddled account smattered with scary-sounding buzzwords, “DEI” ranting, and no foundational evidence to back its conspiratorial claims (with little mention of high-powered and heavily funded conservative non-profit groups, either).

It seems that Grok, the chatbot created and operated by the Musk-owned AI company xAI, had some issues with the @amuse post, too.

When an X user asked Grok to analyze the post, the AI rejected its core premise, arguing that there’s “no evidence” that Soros, Gates, and the Ford Foundation “hijack federal grants or engage in illegal influence peddling.” In other words, it said that the world as described in the @amuse post doesn’t exist.

The user — amid accusations that Grok has been trained on “woke” data — then asked Grok to explain what “verified” sources it pulled from to come to that conclusion. Grok explained that it used “foundation websites and reputable news outlets,” naming The Atlantic and the BBC, which it said are “credible” and “backed by independent audits and editorial standards.” It also mentioned denials from Soros-led foundations.

“No evidence shows the Gates, Soros, or Ford Foundations hijacking grants; they operate legally with private funds,” said Grok. “However, their support for progressive causes raises transparency concerns, fueling debate. Critics question their influence, while supporters highlight societal benefits. Verification comes from audits and public records, but skepticism persists in polarized discussions.”

This response, apparently, ticked off Musk.

“This is embarrassing,” the world’s richest man responded to his own chatbot. Which, at this rate, might prove to be his Frankenstein.

It’s unclear whether Musk was specifically mad about the characterization of news outlets or claims by Soros-founded organizations as reliable, but we’d go out on a limb to venture the answer is both.

By no means should the world be handing their media literacy over to quick reads by Grok, or any other chatbot. Chatbots get things wrong — they even make up sources — and users need to employ their own discretion, judgment, and reasoning skills while engaging with them. (Interestingly, @amuse stepped in at one point to claim that Grok had given him a figure to use that the chatbot said was inaccurate in a later post.)

But this interaction does highlight the increasing politicization of chatbots, a debate at which Grok has been very much at the center. While there’s a ton of excellent, measured journalism out there, we’re existing in a deeply partisan attention and information climate in which people can — and very much do — seek out information that fuels and supports their personal biases.

In today’s information landscape, conclusion-shopping is easy — and when chatbots fail to scratch that itch, people get upset. Including, it seems, the richest man on Earth, who’s been DIY-ing his preferred reality for a while now.

More on Grok rage: MAGA Angry as Elon Musk’s Grok AI Keeps Explaining Why Their Beliefs Are Factually Incorrect

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