X's Grog Chatbot Blocked In Turkey After Responses Insulted Erdogan
Issues of political bias, hate speech and accuracy of AI chatbots have been a concern since at least the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in 2022, with Grok dropping content accused of antisemitic tropes and praise for Adolf Hitler.
The office of Ankara's chief prosecutor has launched a formal investigation into the incident, it said on Wednesday, in Turkey's first such ban on access to an AI tool.
Neither X nor its owner Elon Musk has commented on the decision.
Last month, Musk promised an upgrade to Grok, suggesting there was "far too much garbage in any foundation model trained on uncorrected data".
Grok, which is integrated into X, reportedly generated offensive content about Erdogan when asked certain questions in Turkish, media said.
The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) adopted the ban after a court order, citing violations of Turkey's laws that make insults to the president a criminal offence, punishable with up to four years in jail.
Critics say the law is frequently used to stifle dissent, while the government maintains it is necessary to protect the dignity of the office.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
21 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Tech Wrap August 5: Spotify price hike, new ChatGPT features, Battlefield 6
Spotify has hiked its Premium subscription plan prices in has optimised ChatGPT with health-oriented features. Battlefield 6 open beta. Steam to end support for macOS 11 BS Tech New Delhi Spotify hikes premium subscription prices in India Swedish audio streaming platform Spotify has raised the prices for its Premium subscription plans in India. The monthly prices for the subscription plan have been increased by up to almost 28 per cent. Notably, Spotify was launched in India in 2019, and this is the first time that the prices of Premium subscription plans have been hiked in the region. OpenAI is rolling out a series of mental health-oriented features to its AI chatbot ChatGPT. The company said that these additions are designed to help the AI chatbot better recognise signs of emotional distress and respond more thoughtfully. ChatGPT will also now prompt users to take breaks during long interactions. American video game publisher Electronic Arts has confirmed the early access beta for Battlefield 6 will begin on August 7, followed by an open beta running from August 9–10 and August 14–17. The studio will temporarily pause its Battlefield Labs testing during the open beta period, resuming after feedback has been collected. American video game developer Valve Corporation has announced that it will soon end Steam support for macOS version 11 ("Big Sur"). As per Valve's announcement, Steam will officially stop supporting macOS version 11 on October 15. To keep using Steam and access any games or other content purchased through it, users must upgrade to a newer version of macOS. Google has released a new teaser video for its upcoming Pixel 10 series, taking a jab at Apple over its delayed rollout of AI-powered Siri features. The video, posted by Google India on X (formerly Twitter), offers a stylised look at the Pixel 10 Pro in a new colour, while the voiceover ridicules Apple's failure to deliver on its AI promises. Elon Musk-owned xAI has recently released an update for the Grok AI, introducing a new image and video generation tool called Grok Imagine with a 'spicy mode.' This tool essentially creates images and videos based on text prompts and can reportedly generate NSFW (not safe for work) content on a user's request. Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy S25 FE smartphone as early as next month. According to a report by 9To5Google, availability in South Korea could begin on September 19, with other markets potentially getting it the same day. The launch itself could take place during the IFA (Innovation For All) 2025 trade show in Berlin, which runs from September 5 to September 9. Chinese smartphone brand OPPO has announced that it will be launching its K13 Turbo series smartphones in India on August 11. Ahead of the launch, the company has also revealed the racing-inspired design of the smartphone, and stated that the OPPO K13 Turbo series will be the first smartphone in India to feature a built-in cooling fan. Sony recently launched the Bravia Theatre Bar 6 in India — a 3.1.2 channel soundbar system designed for home use — priced at Rs 54,990. Although positioned as a mid-range offering within the Japanese electronics maker's soundbar portfolio, the system leans towards the company's more premium products in terms of configuration, soundstage, and features. As mentioned, it is a 3.1.2 channel system comprising three front-facing audio drivers, including a centre channel, and two top-firing audio drivers for vertical lift, along with a dedicated wireless subwoofer. Over 84,000 online gaming account user details were leaked in India in 2024, the global cybersecurity and digital privacy company Kaspersky on Tuesday said. The maximum number of leaks of gaming account user details was witnessed in Thailand, the minimum such instances were in Singapore in the Asia-Pacific (APAC)Region, it said.
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
Apple updates Support App terms, hints at AI chatbot launch
Apple has updated its website with Terms of Use for the Support Assistant, reports MacRumours. This comes after reports that the iPhone maker is developing an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot for its Apple Support app . The update page says that the feature will be a chat tool similar to ChatGPT. It will use generative AI to give customers answers to their questions about different Apple products and services. The page mentions that users will be able to provide input to Support Assistant and receive corresponding output from Support Assistant based on such inputs, collectively called 'chats'. 'Support Assistant is intended for technical support purposes only, and can provide you with answers related to certain Apple products and services,' the page states. 'Do not use Support Assistant for emergency may interact with Support Assistant for lawful and appropriate purposes only,' it warns. Notably, the company has updated its Support app on July 15. But it is yet to launch the AI-powered Support Assistant. The MacRumours report says that the feature will likely be initially available in the U.S. only. In another news, Apple is reportedly evaluating tandem OLED technology for the iPhone, potentially bringing the superior display technology currently exclusive to its iPad Pro lineup to smartphones by 2028. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Unsold 2021 Cars Now Almost Free - Prices May Surprise You Unsold Cars | Search Ads Learn More Undo Given Apple's typical two-year development cycle for display technologies, The Elec suggests iPhones with tandem OLED won't arrive until 2028 at the earliest. This timeline points to the iPhone 18 models, which are expected to launch in 2028, as the likely candidates for this display upgrade. According to The Elec, Apple is considering a "simplified tandem" approach for the 2028's iPhone models that would stack two layers only for blue subpixels while keeping red and green elements in a single layer. This streamlined implementation differs from the full tandem O iOS 26 Public Beta Is Here: Apple's Biggest Redesign Since iOS 7 AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Autopilot verdict deals Tesla a 'black eye', threatens Musk's robotaxi ambitions
A court verdict against Tesla last week, stemming from a fatal 2019 crash of an Autopilot-equipped Model S, could hurt its plans to expand its nascent robotaxi network and intensify concerns over the safety of its autonomous vehicle technology. A Florida jury ordered Musk's electric vehicle company on Friday to pay about $243 million to victims of the crash, finding its Autopilot driver-assistance software defective. Tesla said the driver was solely at fault and vowed to appeal. The verdict follows years of federal investigations and recalls related to collisions involving Tesla's autonomous-vehicle technology, and comes as CEO Elon Musk seeks regulatory approval to rapidly expand the robotaxi service across the U.S. "The public perception of this verdict or things like this are going to fuel pressure on regulators to say, 'We just can't let this stuff be launched without a lot more due diligence'," said Mike Nelson, founder of Nelson Law and an expert on legal issues in the mobility sector. Tesla could have a tough time convincing state regulators that its technology is road-ready, threatening Musk's goal of offering robotaxis to half the U.S. population by year end, legal experts and Tesla investors said. Expanding its robotaxi service is crucial for Tesla as demand for its aging lineup of EVs has cooled amid rising global competition and a backlash against Musk's far right political views. Much of Tesla's trillion-dollar market valuation hinges on his bets on robotics and artificial intelligence. Success in the self-driving realm will require winning the confidence of regulators and potential customers on the full-self driving (FSD) software that underpins Tesla's robotaxis, analysts said. "The timing (of the verdict) for Tesla in light of the FSD rollouts and robotaxis is awful," said Aaron Davis, co-managing partner at law firm Davis Goldman. "Now there's essentially an opinion that some aspect of Tesla's business is not safe and maybe the safety that the company advertises isn't what it's cracked up to be." The FSD is an advanced version of Autopilot. Autopilot, which was been updated since 2019, controls speed, distance and lane centering on highways, while the FSD can operate on city streets, helping the vehicle make automatic turns and change lanes. "This case does not have direct implications for Tesla's FSD roll-out," analysts at Piper Sandler said in a note on Sunday, citing the modern iterations of the software. A spokesperson on behalf of Tesla acknowledged the company had received a request for comment from Reuters but had not provided one by the time of publication. Regulatory road ahead. Perfecting autonomous vehicles has been harder than expected. The high costs of hardware, years of trial and error, and regulatory hurdles have forced many players to close shop or pivot, including General Motors' Cruise unit. Musk, however, has pursued what he calls a simpler and cheaper path, relying only on cameras and AI instead of pricey sensors such as lidars and radars used by Alphabet's Waymo, Amazon's Zoox and others. After years of missed deadlines, Musk rolled out a small robotaxi trial in June with about a dozen Model Y crossover SUVs in Austin, Texas, each overseen by a human safety monitor in the front passenger seat. While Musk has said Tesla was being "super paranoid about safety", he has also pledged to expand the service fast and make it available for half of the U.S. population in the next five months - a stark contrast to Waymo's cautious years-long rollout. Until Tesla's entry, Waymo was the only U.S. firm to operate a paid, driverless robotaxi service. Tesla is currently awaiting approvals in several states, including California, Nevada, Arizona and Florida. California's department of motor vehicles declined to comment on the impact of the verdict on regulatory approval. Nevada said it held talks with Tesla about a robotaxi program several weeks ago, while Arizona said it was still considering Tesla's request for certification. Both did not comment on the verdict. Florida did not respond. Tesla has typically either won other Autopilot litigation or resolved the case with the plaintiffs out of court. The Florida verdict stands out. Several such cases are pending. The case involved a Model S sedan that went through an intersection and hit the victims' parked Chevrolet Tahoe as they were standing beside it. The driver had reached down to retrieve a dropped cellphone and allegedly received no alerts as he ran a stop sign before the crash. The jury found that Tesla's Autopilot had a defect and held the company partially responsible, despite the driver admitting fault. "It's going to take time to get regulators to move forward and time being more than the end of the year," said Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, a Tesla investor. "From an image standpoint, it's a black eye."
