Last week, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok malfunctioned by spreading the “white genocide” conspiracy theory related to South Africa, even when unrelated questions were asked. Shortly afterward, Grok also questioned the Holocaust death toll, attributing the incorrect information to a “programming error.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Reaction
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) responded sharply, claiming Grok is too “left-leaning” and accused it of spreading fake news and propaganda. She posted a screenshot where Grok described her as a Christian but noted some Christians are troubled by her association with conspiracy theories such as QAnon. The AI further criticized her for rhetoric seen as divisive, citing religious leaders’ concerns.
At the time of Greene’s post, X (formerly Twitter) was experiencing outages, likely linked to fires at its Oregon data center. The platform was already under strain, adding context to the unfolding drama.
Despite Greene’s controversial reputation, she made a valid remark: “When people give up their own discernment, stop seeking the truth, and depend on AI to analyze information, they will be lost.” This highlights a growing concern about overreliance on AI for critical judgment.
What The Author Thinks
This episode with Grok and Marjorie Taylor Greene underscores a vital lesson: AI, no matter how advanced, is still fallible and can reflect biases or errors. Users must maintain their own critical thinking rather than blindly accepting AI-generated content. Otherwise, misinformation and manipulation become easier to spread, regardless of political leanings.
Featured image credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr
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