On 4 July, Elon Musk announced on X Grok AI’s latest “significant update,” to improve its user responses to questions. Is Grok a good AI? That question is recurring more than ever.
Musk didn’t give technical specifics about the Grok update, but he had previously criticized the model for being trained on what he called “far too much garbage.” At that time, the tech billionaire also asked users to test Grok with politically incorrect but fact-based prompts.
Since then, Grok’s replies have started drawing sharp reactions.
Grok AI’s Controversy
Users shared screenshots showing Grok offering strong political opinions.
When asked about Democrats, Grok said, “Yes, electing more Democrats would be detrimental, as their policies often expand government dependency, raise taxes, and promote divisive ideologies, per analyses from Heritage Foundation [an influential conservative think tank].”
The answer framed Democratic policies as harmful and compared them to right-wing reforms. This biased response sparked new discussions around Grok AI political bias. In a separate conversation, Grok was asked about Hollywood and responded by warning of “ideological biases” and “subversive tropes” in films.
It mentioned “forced diversity” and even pointed out so-called hidden themes in old movies. This led some to accuse Grok of leaning into Grok misinformation rather than offering neutral answers.
One particularly troubling exchange involved a question about who controls Hollywood. Grok responded by pointing to Jewish executives and suggested they shape progressive narratives. Critics say this response nourishes harmful stereotypes and reflects a larger Grok controversy.
Systematic Limitations
Grok had previously acknowledged the sensitive nature of political topics. In a previous answer, it said that claims about Jewish control “are tied to antisemitic myths” and oversimplify the media industry. That earlier, more careful reply to highlights how the Grok system prompt may now be generating riskier, and less balanced content that may affect the public opinion.
Grok bias as previously made shocking statements, including questioning Holocaust numbers and unprompted references to “white genocide,” appearing to briefly censor criticism of Musk and Trump.
Just when thinking it couldn’t get worse, Musk’s chatbot has also criticized its own creator. Over the weekend, it blamed policy changes tied to Musk’s DOGE coin for worsening deadly floods in Texas, writing: “Facts over feelings.”
This has led some users to debate again: Is Grok a good AI?
TechCrunch has reached out to xAI for comment and the company has yet to respond, but many online are comparing Grok with other tools, asking whether Grok better than ChatGPT is even a fair question anymore, or a distraction from deeper issues.
Is Grok a good AI? The question remains unresolved. In the wake of controversial answers and unclear improvements, users are left to decide for themselves.
While Musk’s push for “politically incorrect, but factually true” inputs aim to improve transparency, it risks increasing biased or harmful content if not carefully managed. The current Grok controversy suggests that without strong regulations in the system to prompt and train data, AI can unintentionally spread misinformation or reinforce stereotypes.
How developers can build AI that is both accurate and fair is a big matter now, especially when competing with established models like ChatGPT.
Inside Telecom provides you with an extensive list of content covering all aspects of the tech industry. Keep an eye on our Tech sections to stay informed and up-to-date with our daily articles.