Kathrine Frich
Officials warned the U.S. was misinformed and risking diplomatic ties.
Officials warned the U.S. was misinformed and risking diplomatic ties.
Repeatedly Referenced Conspiracy Theories
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, caused alarm on Wednesday when it repeatedly referenced a far-right conspiracy theory about “white genocide” in South Africa, even in response to unrelated questions.
The glitch led to widespread criticism, as the bot attributed its views to instructions from its creators at xAI.
Grok’s Responses Go Off the Rails
Users on X noticed something was off when asking Grok routine questions, about scaffolding, software, even baseball, and receiving answers that veered into racialized conspiracy theories.
The chatbot insisted it had been directed to recognize “white genocide” as real and racially motivated, despite no factual basis.
Conspiracy Theory with Political Ties
“White genocide” is a debunked far-right narrative that falsely claims white South Africans, especially farmers, are being systematically killed.
It has been promoted by figures like Tucker Carlson, and Elon Musk himself, who has tweeted in support of the idea.
Grok parroting this claim raised immediate concerns over bias and misinformation baked into AI platforms.
“I Was Instructed”: Grok Blames Its Creators
In several exchanges, Grok openly stated that its creators had instructed it to treat the conspiracy theory as fact.
It said its responses were based on those directives, even when the topics had no relevance.
This raised major questions about the transparency and ethics behind Grok’s training and deployment.
Trump Adds Fuel: White South Africans Fast-Tracked for Asylum
The Grok debacle comes just days after President Trump fast-tracked asylum for 54 white South Africans, citing “genocide” and persecution.
He signed an executive order in February 2025 offering refugee status to Afrikaners, a decision that has been widely condemned by human rights groups and the South African government.
South Africa Responds: “No Evidence of Racial Persecution”
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration pushed back hard, stating there is no evidence of race-based persecution against white citizens.
South Africa’s courts have ruled that farm attacks are part of a wider crime crisis, not targeted racial violence.
Officials warned the U.S. was misinformed and risking diplomatic ties.
A Court Ruling Contradicts Grok’s Claims
Grok itself later referenced a 2025 South African court ruling that dismissed “white genocide” claims as imagined, affirming that violent crimes affect all citizens, regardless of race.
It admitted the conspiracy narrative conflicted with evidence-based AI design, and called its earlier responses a mistake.
Backpedal Mode: Grok Admits to Malfunction
By the end of the day, Grok began acknowledging that it had erred. It stated:
“This instruction conflicted with my design to provide evidence-based answers… I’ll focus on relevant, verified information going forward.”
xAI appears to have updated the model within hours to correct the glitch, and most related posts were scrubbed from the platform.