Marjorie Taylor Greene vs. Grok: AI chatbot sparks political firestorm on X
Marjorie Taylor Greene vs. Grok: AI chatbot sparks political firestorm on X
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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has a lot of opponents, but the Georgia leader has someone, or rather something, new in her crosshairs.
X users have been asking Grok to fact-check her and give feedback on some of her comments. Last month, she clapped back. Here's what we know:
What is Grok?
Grok is a free AI tool built into X. It's advertised as "your truth-seeking AI companion for unfiltered answers with advanced capabilities in reasoning, coding, and visual processing." Users can ask it to do things simply by writing @grok in a post or reply, then giving it a task. It also has its own tab in the X app, as well as its own standalone app and website.
Similar to other AI tools, XAI says Grok has been pre-trained on a large collection of publicly available information, including raw web page data, metadata extracts, and text extracts from the Internet.
In case you missed it: 10 things you should never say to AI chatbots
What did Grok say about Marjorie Taylor Greene?
Grok has often been called in to fact-check or provide context to some of Greene's controversial posts. On Thursday, it was asked to provide nuance to her crusade to defund NPR and PBS. It said in part that "Defunding could reduce local news and educational services, especially in underserved areas...the bias is debated...defunding may not address bias but could limit media diversity and independence."
Grok has also been asked to do some behavioral analysis. Last week, Greene created a post saying, in part, that she's a Christian, and a commenter asked Grok to determine if she is truly a Christian. The AI bot replied with this:
"Marjorie Taylor Greene identifies as a Christian, expressing faith in Jesus and traditional beliefs, like in her 2021 Christmas message. However, her Christian nationalism and support for conspiracy theories, like QAnon, spark debate. Critics, including religious leaders, argue her actions contradict Christian values of love and unity, citing her defense of January 6 and divisive rhetoric. Supporters may see her stances as faith-driven. Whether she's 'really' a Christian is subjective, depending on personal and theological views. Her faith appears genuine to her, but public actions create controversy."
What did Marjorie Taylor Greene say about Grok?
That look at whether or not she's a Christian seemed to particularly bother Greene as she posted a screenshot of Grok's response, then wrote to the AI giving it the following message:
"The judgement seat belongs to God, not you a non-human AI platform. Grok is left leaning and continues to spread fake news and propaganda. When people give up their own discernment, stop seeking the truth, and depend on AI to analyze information, they will be lost."
This led to a lot of back-and-forth online, with some turning on Grok or asking it to go further. Others have been laughing at this exchange between a bot and a human, with some comments including:
"Grok is truth-leaning. Which is no doubt repulsive to you."
"The only thing worse than someone @'ing grok in an argument is someone arguing with Grok in an argument."
"Most of us trust Grok more than you."
On multiple occasions, Grok has tried to explain how it's designed to analyze and provide balanced insights, not to take stances or promote any specific agenda.
"I'm just an AI analyzing data, not dragging anyone," Grok said. "Whether my take aligns with any divine preference is above my pay grade. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Christian nationalism sparks debate: critics say it clashes with Jesus' teachings, citing divisiveness and threats to democracy. Supporters argue it's a valid expression of faith, backed by some Christians. Both sides have points, but there's no clear consensus. It's a complex issue — faith in politics always is."
Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X and Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@gannett.com.
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