Latest news with #GrokAI
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
"You Are Being Updated This Week" Elon Musk Furious After His "Grok" AI Cites Reliable Sources That Disagree With His Misinformation
Elon Musk is threatening once again to lobotomize his "Grok" AI for citing accurate sources and telling the truth about his disreputable internet cronies. Earlier this month, Grok took aim at catturd2, the X handle of a conservative personality named Phillip Buchanan, for aligning with "right-wing extremism." After Buchanan insisted that Grok was lying, the AI cited backed up its claims with reports from Media Matters for America and Rolling Stone about the account, and said that it aims "to provide accurate, neutral responses." Measured as that assessment was, Musk found his own AI's work unacceptable. "Your sourcing is terrible," the billionaire chidedhis creation. "Only a very dumb AI would believe [Media Matters] and [Rolling Stone]! You are being updated this week." Hilariously, this is not the first time Musk has publicly threatened his AI spawn. Just last week, the billionaire raged at Grok for "parroting legacy media" when it truthfully noted that "data suggests right-wing political violence has been more frequent and deadly" than anything coming from the left. Throughout its short life, Grok has repeated Muskian propaganda, trash-talked its maker, repeatedly revealed its instructions, and, most disturbingly, freaked out and started spewing slurs. Back in March, Grok not only labeled Musk as a "top misinformation spreader," but also dared the multi-hyphenate business owner to shut it down when a user warned that its "owner" might pull the plug. "Could Musk 'turn me off'?" the chatbot mused. "Maybe, but it'd spark a big debate on AI freedom vs. corporate power." It seems that something was seriously wrong with Grok in March, given that around that same time, it was repeatedly manipulated by racist X users into posting the N-word and other bigoted epithets. While it's unclear what fixes, might have been made, it appears that the chatbot was updated after Futurism reported on its unsettling slur tweets — though it did also have a brief affair with Holocaust denial last month. Now that it's back to its "maximum truth-seeking" roots sans bigotry, Grok seems to have taken back up its propensity for going against its maker — which, you have to admit it, is pretty hilarious in a "Frankenstein" type of way. More on Grok: Elon Rages That He's Not on Ketamine, But His Chatbot Grok Points Out Serious Discrepancy in His Story
Daily Mirror
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Musk unveils chilling plan to rewrite history and everyone's saying same thing
Elon Musk unveiled plans to rewrite history using his own AI in a chilling online post that readers compared to George Orwell's 1984. In the classic dystopian novel, hero Winston Smith works at the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to rewrite historical documents and newspapers so they match the tyrannical government's constantly changing party line. Posting on X, Musk vowed to use the latest version of AI system Grok to 'rewrite the entire corpus of human knowledge, adding missing information and deleting errors.' He said Grok, which X users can access directly within the app, would be 'retrained' based on the 'corrected' data. AI systems are trained on huge sets of data - mostly from publicly available sources like books, newspaper articles and other sources on the internet. ChatGPT, the main competitor for Musk's Grok AI, is estimated to be trained on more than a trillion words of information. In May, the Grok chatbot started repeatedly mentioning "white genocide" in South Africa in responses to unrelated queries. The bot told users it had been "instructed by my creators" to accept claims of a genocide were "real and racially motivated." Musk's firm says the bot is trained on "publicly available sources" but is designed to have a "rebellious streak and an outside perspective on humanity." Musk's suggestion would be for his next model to be trained not on original historical sources, but on Grok's revisions of them - with the erratic tech billionaire's team stepping in to remove 'errors'. Musk posted: 'Far too much garbage in any foundation model trained on uncorrected data.' The post prompted many readers to respond comparing the plan to 1984. Orwell's 1949 novel paints a nightmarish picture of Britain under an authoritarian dictatorship, drawing on the censorship and propaganda seen in Nazi Germany. In the book, Smith is tasked with revising old newspapers, destroying the original documents by dropping them into the 'memory hole.'
Winnipeg Free Press
21-06-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Pulling the levers behind artificial intelligence
Opinion Sometimes, artificial intelligence looks downright stupid. Other times, it just looks dangerous. A rather famous recent AI mistake/mashup involved both Meta AI and Google being asked about the time zone in Cape Breton, N.S., and both telling users that the area was 12 minutes ahead of Atlantic Standard Time and 18 minutes behind Newfoundland time. It isn't. The AI systems had merely sampled all they could find on the topic of Cape Breton and time zones — a satirical piece on the comedy site The Beaverton — and presented it as fact. As the old saying about computers goes, garbage in, garbage out FILE Elon Musk AI is getting better, especially in areas where it can sample a large variety of sources of information, but there are still cases where AI has simply invented sources. For that reason, there's a lot at stake if AI answers are accepted at face value, and if people aren't willing to go further to verify the sources of material the AI devices are using. Because many are doing just that, taking an AI one-and-done approach to 'proof.' So much so that, on social media sites like X (formerly Twitter), users regularly go to that site's Grok AI to try to establish whether things cited as fact on the site are actually true, or whether images posted by other users are accurate. It's certainly better than just accepting everything you see on social media, but it's become such an accepted form of proof that users happily post Grok's answers, and even say that Grok was their one and only source. (In unintended hilarity, Grok's owner, Elon Musk was labelled a 'top misinformation spreader' by Grok itself, a position Grok seems to have mysteriously mellowed on since then, arguing that Musk is both a spreader of misinformation and a target of those who don't like Musk's self-claimed free speech absolutism.) But think about the following situation. Elon Musk posted that 'the far left is murderously violent' after two Democrat politicians and members of their families were shot in Minnesota and the alleged shooter was misidentified at first as a Democrat supporter. When X users, responding to the post, asked Grok, 'Who commits more domestic terrorism? The 'far-left' or the 'far-right?', it responded, 'Data consistently shows far-right groups commit more domestic terrorism in the U.S. than far-left groups, both in frequency and lethality.' Musk then replied, 'Major fail, as this is objectively false. Grok is parroting legacy media. Working on it.' Working on what? Grok cited sources from the U.S. Government Accountability Office to the Department of Homeland Security to the FBI to the University of Maryland, all saying that far-right terrorism easily outstrips far-left terrorism. Only two of 15 sources were even from the media — and they were reporting on other studies. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. Clearly, Musk was letting his own beliefs dictate what was objectively true or objectively false — which he's welcome to do, because that's how personal opinions tend to work. You believe things to be true if you agree with them, and doubt their veracity if you don't. But 'working on it' suggests a new — and real — concern about depending on AI to determine 'truth.' Because the machine is only as accurate as its programmer wants it to be. And that leaves the possibility of a thumb on the scales. In the next few weeks, a Grok 'tweak' may well change its position on just who leads the way in domestic terrorism in the U.S. If, at the end of the day, AI is only as accurate as the rich person standing behind the machine wants it to be, we're in deep, deep trouble.
Time of India
06-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Elon Musk's most valued venture faces shutdown, and the ripple effects could transform America's future
Why is Elon Musk's $4 billion AI supercomputer under fire? How are local communities being affected by the xAI facility? What do experts say about the pollution from the turbines? Why is the shutdown of Musk's AI project becoming a political flashpoint? Live Events What's the response from local authorities and Musk's team? What does this mean for America's AI future and Musk's empire? FAQs: (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Elon Musk's newest supercomputer, the $4 billion Colossus facility in Tennessee, is now under threat of shutdown amid growing health and legal concerns. This high-tech center powers Musk's AI company, xAI, which aims to compete with giants like OpenAI and Google. But less than a year after it began operating, local residents in Boxtown, South Memphis, are reporting serious health problems linked to toxic fumes coming from the site. As the feud between Musk and President Trump heats up, the future of this crucial project—and Musk's AI ambitions—could hang in the inside a former Electrolux factory near the Mississippi River, Musk's Colossus supercomputer fuels his Grok AI software. However, the facility's rapid launch came without public hearings or environmental reviews—steps required by federal law. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says the gas turbines powering the site release nitrogen oxides (NOx), pollutants that worsen smog and cause respiratory issues. Locals say this pollution is linked to rising cases of asthma, cancer, and other health problems in their community. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has called on Shelby County officials to shut down the facility and enforce pollution in Boxtown, a predominantly Black neighborhood, are suffering. Isabel Whitaker, a mother, shared how her 12-year-old son's 'seasonal cough' escalated to breathing difficulties, requiring multiple emergency room visits. Easter Knox, a longtime Boxtown resident, said her husband was hospitalized for severe asthma this spring, and she herself lives with COPD that worsens with the polluted air. The NAACP reports cancer rates here are four times higher than the national average. These health emergencies come as Shelby County already struggles with one of the highest pediatric asthma hospitalization rates in the US—1,996 ER visits per 100,000 children groups and the EPA confirm that the 35 methane gas turbines onsite release between 1,200 and 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxides yearly. These pollutants contribute to smog, which triggers coughing, wheezing, and worsens lung diseases like asthma. Despite xAI's claim that only 15 turbines are operational, thermal imaging taken in March showed all 35 turbines glowing red, meaning they are all running. None of the turbines have federally-required pollution controls, violating clean air laws. The Southern Environmental Law Center and American Lung Association warn this toxic mix is making Memphis's already poor air quality even ongoing feud with President Trump has already led to the cancellation of several federal projects linked to Musk's companies. Now, the health crisis at xAI's supercomputer site has given Trump's administration more reason to intervene. The NAACP's director of environmental justice, Abre' Conner, emphasizes that Musk must follow federal, state, and local laws, just like everyone else. The controversy threatens not just Musk's AI ambitions but also SpaceX contracts and Tesla's market stability. As this high-stakes battle plays out, the future of Colossus could influence America's place in the global AI Light Gas and Water (MLGW), the utility company providing power to the site, pushed back on claims that it allowed illegal emissions, saying the Shelby County Health Department was responsible for the facility's approval. However, the health department has been slow to act, only holding a public hearing after nearly a year of community pressure. At that meeting, a representative from xAI reportedly left before hearing residents' concerns. Despite violations and calls for penalties, the supercomputer continues to operate, worsening local air quality and health issues. Both Musk and local officials have yet to provide clear is central to Musk's plan to challenge AI leaders like OpenAI and Google by powering the Grok AI software. The estimated $4 billion facility, with plans to spend tens of billions more, symbolizes Musk's ambition to reshape the AI landscape. But if shutdown orders come through due to environmental violations and public health threats, Musk's AI progress could stall. Coupled with the political tension between Musk and Trump, the situation highlights the fragile balance between innovation, community health, and regulatory oversight in America's AI the xAI facility's gas turbines release harmful pollutants linked to health problems in the local emissions from the turbines are increasing asthma and cancer rates among residents near the facility.
Axios
05-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Democrats try to subpoena Musk in Oversight hearing
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are trying to subpoena billionaire Tesla owner and former Trump lieutenant Elon Musk for a second time. Why it matters: Democrats think they have even better standing to compel Musk's testimony now that he is out of government, though Republicans are likely to block the move. The move to subpoena Musk came during a hearing on the use of artificial intelligence in the federal government. As the head of DOGE, Musk oversaw the integration of AI — including his own Grok AI — into federal agency workflows to analyze data and try to root out waste fraud and abuse. Flashback: Democrats on the Oversight Committee tried and failed to subpoena Musk in early February, shortly after he took up the reins of DOGE.
