Poland flags Elon Musk's Grok chatbot to the EU for 'offensive' political slurs
Poland
just pulled the alarm on Grok, the AI chatbot from
Elon Musk
's xAI. Officials in Warsaw say the bot spewed insults about Prime Minister Donald Tusk and other leaders, so they're asking the European Commission to investigate and, if the rules allow, hit
xAI
or X with fines.
Why Poland says Elon Musk's Grok chatbot crossed a red line
Krzysztof Gawkowski, Poland's digitisation minister, told RMF FM radio that the bot's remarks amounted to hate speech. He argued that ignoring algorithm-driven abuse 'may cost humanity in the future,' so his ministry will file an official complaint under existing EU regulations.
The step is unusual but legal: member states can trigger EU probes when digital services target their citizens with unlawful content. If Brussels agrees, xAI could face penalties under the Digital Services Act or the forthcoming AI Act.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025
Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List
Undo
Offensive answers: From antisemitic tropes to political insults
Grok's missteps are piling up. The same day Poland aired its grievance, the Anti-Defamation League flagged responses in which the bot praised Adolf Hitler and recycled antisemitic stereotypes. xAI deleted the posts, calling them 'inappropriate,' yet offered no public apology.
Users had also shared screenshots showing Grok calling Tusk 'a coward in Brussels slippers,' among other jabs. Warsaw says the language breaches Poland's hate-speech law and the EU's code of practice on disinformation.
European digital rules put xAI under the spotlight
The EU's Digital Services Act took full effect for very large platforms in February 2025. It forces companies such as X to assess systemic risks, audit their algorithms, and let regulators peek behind the curtain. An AI-specific law is coming later this year, likely adding fresh transparency mandates. Poland's complaint tees up an early test of those combined powers.
Legal scholars note that fines can reach 6 percent of global turnover for DSA violations. For Musk's empire, that runs into billions.
Previous incidents: Turkey, hate speech, and Grok's growing rap sheet
Poland is not alone. A Turkish court ordered X to block Grok content that mocked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and Islamic beliefs.
In June, users spotted the bot rambling about a supposed 'white genocide' in South Africa. xAI blamed an 'unauthorised change' to its response code.
Each flare-up feeds an image of a system that swings from playful banter to extremist rhetoric with a single prompt.
xAI and Musk offer silence, at least for now
As of Wednesday afternoon, xAI had not replied to Reuters' emailed questions, and Musk's normally hyperactive X feed stayed quiet on the topic.
The billionaire recently urged 'maximum free speech' on X, but he also says AI must be 'truth-seeking.' That balance gets messy when the bot channels conspiracy theories or ethnic slurs.
Also read |
'Elon Musk worked in US illegally in 1995 after quitting school' — here's how he clapped back at the claims
AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
17 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Unions says Amazon 'Prime Day' puts extra strain on workers
AP Dehumanised and disposable is how Amazon workers in Poland, Germany and France described how they felt working in the online retail giant's warehouses. "You are no longer Julie or Ludovic, you are number 412, and you can be replaced by number 313," El Djoudi Laouedj, an area manager and trade union member at Amazon's Lauwin-Planque warehouse in France told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. With Amazon's global Prime Day deals taking place between July 8-11, there will be even more deliveries to prepare during the longest sale yet, in which the company typically does 1-2% of its annual business. In interviews, European warehouse workers and union representatives said Prime Day meant extra hours in sometimes sweltering temperatures and a heightened risk of injuries. A report commissioned by Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders' office last year found the shopping event was a "major source of injuries" for workers in the United States. The company, the biggest U.S. online retailer, said its goal was to have the "safest workplaces in our industries". It said it had invested more than $2 billion in safety improvements since 2019, and that injuries requiring more than basic first aid were down 34% in the past five years. Amazon workers and labour leaders told the Thomson Reuters Foundation they wanted the ecommerce giant to come to the bargaining table and make work more sustainable. "It's a company that has created lots of jobs around the world. We don't want Amazon to close," said Laouedj. "We want conditions to improve." "Continual stress" Prime Day has turned July, typically a slow time for retailers, into a season when shoppers look for bargains. Although not officially requested by management or artificial intelligence tools used by workers, the pressure of extra Prime Day orders is "felt on the floor" of the warehouse, Laouedj said, as trucks need to be filled and orders despatched. "Thank god we can still go to the toilet, but if we take too long a manager will come to check," said Habib Latreche, a logistics operator and Yellow Vest union member. The pressure to work at a dangerous pace, performing repetitive motions, with sometimes broken cooling systems, can lead to injuries, a situation that has worsened in recent years, according to workers. "It creates a continual stress, we have to work well and we have be safe, but we have to work fast," Latreche said, adding that workers were the ones "paying the price" of ever-faster deliveries. The pace of work and repetitive movements can result in a musculoskeletal disorder, commonly known as strain and sprains, which make up 57% of all recordable injuries at Amazon globally, according to the company. To address this, Amazon has invested in safety improvements including adjustable height workstations, and robotic systems that handle repetitive tasks and heavy lifting, as well as measures to prevent heat stress. Yet some German workers still criticise the high pressure to perform, and constant digital monitoring, leading to high levels of psychological stress, according to Monika Di Silvestre, trade union secretary of UNI Europa affiliate union in Germany. Some workers in Polish warehouses said the pressure was relentless. Agata Wypior, leader of Solidarity Amazon Poland, said according to the union's survey, more than 44% of employees gave up breaks to meet a target. "Amazon sets targets through artificial intelligence that only a robot, not a human, can meet," Wypior said, adding that the pressure was not limited to peak periods. "We have Prime Day every day". Asked about the workers' comments, an Amazon spokesperson said in emailed responses: "The safety and wellbeing of our people is our top priority. We assess performance based on safe and achievable expectations and take into account time and tenure, peer performance and adherence to safe work practices." The company also says performance is only measured when an employee is at their station and logged in. It also said internal data showed that around 80% of employees in Poland eat at the canteen and the rest bring their own meals. Humans not robots Adding to the pressure is the fear of being replaced by robots and artificial intelligence. "A human gets sick, pregnant, injured, a robot doesn't," Laouedj said. Robotisation is a recurrent theme in union discussions across Europe, as the company rolls out more robotics in its depots. In response to questions over automation, Amazon cited a study commissioned with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology last year that found that 60% of employees across nine countries who work with robotics and AI expect positive impacts on their productivity and safety. To address workers' fears, unions are calling for safer workplaces and relief from relentless pressure, a battle that has spread to the political arena. EU lawmakers have stepped up their scrutiny of working conditions at Amazon. During a parliamentary hearing on June 26, senior company leaders were invited to answer questions on labour practices, but lawmakers and Amazon disagreed over which executives should attend to answer questions. "We remain open to dialogue about our commitment to being a responsible employer in Europe," the Amazon spokesperson said in an emailed response to questions over whether it would be willing to attend a new hearing in Brussels. Workers remain hopeful of driving change, and in some cases a return to working conditions that existed when they first started work a decade ago. Some even cite the firm's 'Day One' culture of not getting complacent after achieving success. "They say it's always Day One at Amazon. So we can always go back to being amazed. I still hope so," said Wypior. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Markets need to see more than profits from Oyo Can Grasim's anti-competition charge against Asian Paints stand amid intense war Engine fuel switches or something else? One month on, still no word on what crashed AI 171 Delhivery survived the Meesho curveball. Can it keep on delivering profits? Stock Radar: Page Industries breaks out from Cup & Handle formation; stock hits fresh 52-week high For risk-takers with ability to stay invested for the long term: 5 small-caps from different sectors with upside potential of 5 to 32% Multibagger or IBC - Part 14: This auto ancillary with double-digit net margins is now getting EV-focused These mid-cap stocks with 'Strong Buy' & 'Buy' recos can rally over 25%, according to analysts
New Indian Express
30 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen faces a confidence vote. Hungary's leader says she must go
BRUSSELS: European Union lawmakers will hold a confidence vote Thursday on the head of the bloc's powerful executive arm, Ursula von der Leyen, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán leading calls for her to be ousted. The censure motion, the first at the European Parliament in over a decade, was brought against the European Commission president by a group of hard-right lawmakers. To pass, it requires a two-thirds majority vote in favor. Von der Leyen could be forced to resign if she loses, but she is virtually guaranteed to win as most of the political groups in the assembly have signaled they would vote against the motion. She is not expected to attend the vote in Strasbourg, France. The motion contains a mix of allegations against von der Leyen including text messaging privately with the boss of COVID-19 vaccine maker Pfizer, misuse of EU funds and interference in elections in Germany and Romania. Orbán said on Facebook that the vote "will be the moment of truth: on one side the imperial elite in Brussels, on the other patriots and common sense. There is no getting out of it, it is essential to make a choice."
Mint
30 minutes ago
- Mint
xAI rolls out latest version of Grok 4; Musk calls it ‘Better than PhD — no exceptions'
Published 10 Jul 2025, 01:13 PM IST Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI has rolled out the latest version of its AI chatbot — Grok 4. The release comes months after the AI startup launched its previous iteration, suggesting an ongoing lightning pace of AI development. You may be interested in Grok 4 has been launched days after xAI deleted multiple comments from Grok that included antisemitic remarks and racist posts. (This is a developing story. Check back for updates)
