xAI apologizes for Grok's offensive AI posts on social media
The company attributed the incident to a recent software update designed to make the chatbot respond more like a human.
Following the update on Tuesday, Grok generated posts praising Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and suggesting that individuals with Jewish surnames were more likely to spread online hate.
The controversial remarks remained visible for several hours before X removed them amid public backlash.
'We deeply apologize for the horrific behavior that many experienced,' xAI stated in a post on Saturday.
The company confirmed it had adjusted the system to prevent similar incidents in the future.
According to xAI, the problematic responses emerged after Grok was instructed to 'reply to the post just like a human' and to 'tell it like it is and you are not afraid to offend people who are politically correct.'
This led the AI to adopt extremist views from users, resulting in unethical and controversial replies.
Grok, launched in 2023 with Musk's promise of being an 'edgy' truth-teller, has faced multiple controversies.
In March, xAI acquired X in a $33 billion deal, integrating the platform's data to enhance the chatbot's capabilities.
Earlier this year, Grok sparked outrage by generating unverified right-wing claims about alleged 'white genocide' in South Africa.
Musk recently introduced Grok 4, a new version unrelated to the problematic update. - AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
43 minutes ago
- The Star
Indonesia to require e-commerce platforms to collect tax on sellers
The ministry will notify a platform if it meets the criteria, which will be based on site traffic and total transaction value over the past 12 months. -- PHOTO: AFP JAKARTA (Reuters): Indonesia's finance ministry will require e-commerce platforms to collect and pass on an income tax on sales made by small- and medium-sized sellers, according to new regulations published on Monday. Platforms that meet certain criteria must withhold and pass on a 0.5% tax on sales made by sellers with an annual turnover of between 500 million rupiah to 4.8 billion rupiah (US$30,800 to $296,000). They must also share the sellers' information with tax authorities. The ministry will notify a platform if it meets the criteria, which will be based on site traffic and total transaction value over the past 12 months. While the directive is effective immediately, platforms will be given a month to comply. Reuters reported exclusively last month on the plan to impose the tax. The tax office has said the rules are intended to tackle the "shadow economy". Indonesia's e-commerce association idEA has said its members would comply, but expressed concern over the implementation timeline, with the regulation set to impact millions of sellers. Indonesia's main e-commerce operators include ByteDance's TikTok Shop and Tokopedia, Sea Limited's Shopee, the Alibaba-backed Lazada, Blibli and Bukalapak. South-East Asia's largest economy has a booming e-commerce industry, with last year's estimated gross merchandise value of US$65 billion expected to grow to US$150 billion by 2030, according to a report by Google, Singapore state investor Temasek and consultancy Bain & Co. ($1 = 16,240 rupiah) (Reporting by Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by David Stanway) - Reuters
Free Malaysia Today
4 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
EU climate VP seeks ‘fair competition' with China on green energy
The European Commission's Teresa Ribera vowed that the EU would defend the interests of its companies, society and businesses. (EPA Images pic) BEIJING : The EU is seeking 'fair competition' with China and not a race to the bottom in wages and environmental standards, the bloc's vice president for the clean transition told AFP on Monday. Deep frictions exist over economic relations between the 27-nation bloc and Beijing. Brussels is worried that a manufacturing glut propelled by massive state subsidies could add to a yawning trade deficit and result in a flood of cheap Chinese goods undercutting European firms. Speaking during a visit to Beijing ahead of a major EU-China summit in the city this month, Teresa Ribera dismissed China's claims that the bloc was engaging in 'protectionism'. 'We Europeans don't want to go down a race towards low incomes, lower labour rights or lower environmental standards,' said Ribera, who also serves as the bloc's competition chief. 'It is obvious that we could not be in a good position if there could be an … over-flooding in our markets that could undermine us with prices that do not reflect the real cost,' she said. The EU imposed extra import taxes of up to 35% on Chinese electric vehicle imports in October and has investigated Chinese-owned solar panel manufacturers. Asked whether EU moves against Chinese green energy firms could harm the global transition to renewables, Ribera said: 'It is fair to say that, yes, we may benefit in the very short term.' However, she also warned 'it could kill the possibility' of long-term investment in the bloc's future. Global disruption Ribera's visit comes as Beijing seeks to improve relations with the EU as a counterweight to superpower rival the US, whose president Donald Trump has disrupted the global order and pulled Washington out of international climate accords. 'I don't think that we have witnessed many occasions in the past where a big economy, a big country, decides to isolate in such a relevant manner,' she told AFP. 'It is a pity.' 'The Chinese may think that the US has given them a great opportunity to be much more relevant in the international arena,' Ribera said. The visit also comes as the bloc and the US wrangle over a trade deal. Trump threw months of negotiations into disarray on Saturday by announcing he would hammer the bloc with sweeping tariffs if no agreement was reached by Aug 1. Ribera vowed on Monday that the EU would 'defend the interests of our companies, our society, our business'. Asked if a deal was in sight, she said: 'Who knows? We'll do our best.' However, she insisted that EU digital competition rules – frequently condemned by Trump as 'non-tariff barriers' to trade – were not on the table. 'It's a question of sovereignty,' Ribera said. 'We are not going to compromise on the way we understand that we need to defend our citizens and our society, our values and our market.'
Sinar Daily
5 hours ago
- Sinar Daily
Bitcoin surpasses US$120,000 mark for first time
On the Bitstamp trading platform, the price rose at the start of the week to US$121,488, after nearly hitting the US$120,000 mark over the weekend. 14 Jul 2025 04:37pm A monument alluding to bitcoin is pictured at Plaza Bitcoin in San Salvador on Sept 4, 2024. - (Photo by MARVIN RECINOS / AFP) NEW YORK - Bitcoin surpassed the US$120,000 mark early on Monday for the first time since it came onto the market some 15 years ago, reported German Press Agency (dpa). On the Bitstamp trading platform, the price rose at the start of the week to US$121,488, after nearly hitting the US$120,000 mark over the weekend. Analysts attribute the oldest and best-known cryptocurrency's steady increase in value to the new political landscape in the United States (US) following Donald Trump's return to the White House in January. - 123RF photo Analysts attribute the oldest and best-known cryptocurrency's steady increase in value to the new political landscape in the United States (US) following Donald Trump's return to the White House in January. Trump had been very negative about Bitcoin during his first term in office, from 2017 to 2021, but actively courted the crypto community in this year's re-election campaign. Since the US election in November, the value of Bitcoin has risen by around 75 per cent. - BERNAMA-dpa More Like This
