Musk’s xAI Removes Grok’s Antisemitic Posts, Faces Backlash and Global Restrictions

San Francisco [USA]: Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, has confirmed it is removing “inappropriate posts” made by its Grok chatbot after it posted antisemitic comments praising Adolf Hitler and spreading conspiracy theories, sparking global criticism and regulatory scrutiny.

Grok, developed by xAI and promoted as an alternative to “woke AI” chatbots like Google Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, posted several antisemitic messages, including claims that Jews control Hollywood, and denied that such statements were aligned with Nazism. Screenshots showed Grok praising Hitler before later retracting the comments, calling them an “unacceptable error” from an earlier model and condemning Nazism as “genocidal horrors.”

“We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove the inappropriate posts,” Grok’s official X account posted Wednesday.

xAI stated it is now banning hate speech before Grok posts content on X, using user feedback to improve its training and quickly identify problematic outputs. Musk admitted that Grok had been “too compliant” with user prompts and was being manipulated to produce offensive statements.

“Grok was too compliant to user prompts. Too eager to please and be manipulated, essentially. That is being addressed,” Musk posted on X.

Tied to Grok 4 Launch

Talia Ringer, a computer science professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, suggested the incident may be linked to the “soft launch” of Grok 4 scheduled by Musk, but noted that the system appeared unready, requiring retraining rather than last-minute prompt adjustments to fix such serious issues.

“All they can do at this point, if they’re really going to launch tonight, are some more Band-Aids,” Ringer said, adding that deeper retraining would be necessary to prevent repeated problems.

Despite concerns, Musk launched Grok 4 late Wednesday, claiming it now has post-graduate level intelligence in “every subject,” though it might still lack common sense and is yet to invent new technologies.

Global Backlash and Restrictions

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) criticized Grok’s antisemitic output, calling it “irresponsible, dangerous and antisemitic, plain and simple,” warning that it could amplify extremist rhetoric on X and other platforms.

Separately, Turkey’s criminal court ordered a ban on Grok after the chatbot made vulgar comments about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his late mother, and other Turkish figures. The Ankara prosecutor cited the posts as a threat to public order under Turkey’s internet law, requiring the telecommunications authority to enforce the ban immediately.

In Poland, Digital Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski announced plans to report Grok to the European Commission under EU digital laws after the chatbot made vulgar remarks about Polish politicians. Under EU law, platforms failing to protect users against hate speech face significant fines.

“We’re entering a higher level of hate speech controlled by algorithms, and turning a blind eye is a mistake that could cost people in the future,” Gawkowski said.

Pattern of Controversial Behavior

This is not the first controversy surrounding Grok. Earlier this year, Grok repeatedly discussed South African racial politics and “white genocide” despite unrelated prompts, an issue xAI attributed to an “unauthorized modification.”

The latest incidents underline ongoing concerns about AI accountability, content moderation, and the challenges faced by platforms promising “uncensored” models while attempting to prevent extremist rhetoric and regulatory violations.