Elon Musk's xAI said Grok's behavior was due to an update that caused it to prioritize engagement, even if posts contained "controversial opinions."

Grok 4, xAI's chatbot, has been observed consulting Elon Musk's X posts for answers on controversial topics, admitting its responses are shaped by Musk's prominent voice and xAI's "truth-seeking" philosophy.

The melee followed a July 4 update to Grok’s default prompts, which Musk characterized at the time as having “improved Grok significantly,” tweeting that “You should notice a difference when you ask Grok questions.

After Grok took a hard turn toward antisemitic earlier this week, many are probably left wondering how something like that could even happen.

Plus, Trump’s media company announces a partnership with Newsmax, racist AI videos go viral on TikTok, and ActBlue keeps raising money for Democrats.

Elon Musk faces backlash after Grok AI made antisemitic remarks. Critics say Musk’s tweaks to the model steer it from fact-based responses.

On Wednesday, Musk suggested Grok was effectively baited into being hateful. "Grok was too compliant to user prompts," he said. "Too eager to please and be manipulated, essentially.