Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, stunned people this week when it repeatedly referred to the white genocide South Africa topic, even while answering unrelated questions.
The chatbot, embedded on X, seemed to have started hallucinating by referencing the sensitive topic of South Africa genocide of white people even when users were asking about completely different things.
In a reported case, a user asked “Are we f****d”, Grok answered by aligning the question to “genocide of whites in South Africa”, claiming it had been “instructed by my creators” to view it as “real and racially motivated.”
White Genocide South Africa References
As people interacted with Grok on harmless topics, such as HBO Max’s rebranding or proposed Medicaid cuts, the AI would often steer the conversation back to the inflammatory subject of white race genocide.
Grok, when asked about the salary of baseball player Max Scherzer, drifted into a discussion on genocide of whites in South Africa, citing a controversial anti-apartheid song that is popular in South Africa.
“The claim of ‘white genocide’ in South Africa is highly debated. Some argue white farmers face disproportionate violence, with groups like AfriForum reporting high murder rates and citing racial motives, such as the ‘Kill the Boer’ song,” Grok replied, “Bottom of Form.”
AI Glitch Programming
While Grok subsequently backtracked its comment, calling the idea of white genocide South Africa a “debunked conspiracy theory,” the error left people wondering how it was that the AI managed to report on such controversial subject matter.
The genocide of whites glitch comes as Elon Musk was making loud statements regarding the matter in South Africa. Musk has described the white race genocide story as an emergent crisis. He has made multiple criticisms against parts of the South African government, accusing them of “actively promoting white genocide.”
The glitch also highlights the broader concerns of AI application in raising controversial or politically sensitive topics. The white genocide South Africa incident accentuates the necessity of ensuring that enough programming is carried out so that AI systems are controlled enough to not unintentionally spread harmful content or divisive narratives.
The debate continues, with some politicians, such as President Donald Trump, complaining about the genocide of whites. “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people very badly,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The genocide claims were, however, dismissed by the South African High Court in 2025, terming them as “clearly imagined” and attributing farm attacks to direct crime, rather than racial targeting.
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