Elon Musk's chatbot Grok searches for his views before answering questions
The unusual behavior of Grok 4, the AI model that Musk's company xAI released late Wednesday, has surprised some experts.
Built using huge amounts of computing power at a Tennessee data center, Grok is Musk's attempt to outdo rivals such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini in building an AI assistant that shows its reasoning before answering a question.
Musk's deliberate efforts to mold Grok into a challenger of what he considers the tech industry's 'woke' orthodoxy on race, gender and politics has repeatedly got the chatbot into trouble, most recently when it spouted antisemitic tropes, praised Adolf Hitler and made other hateful commentary to users of Musk's X social media platform just days before Grok 4's launch.
But its tendency to consult with Musk's opinions appears to be a different problem.
'It's extraordinary,' said Simon Willison, an independent AI researcher who's been testing the tool. 'You can ask it a sort of pointed question that is around controversial topics. And then you can watch it literally do a search on X for what Elon Musk said about this, as part of its research into how it should reply.'
One example widely shared on social media—and which Willison duplicated—asked Grok to comment on the conflict in the Middle East. The prompted question made no mention of Musk, but the chatbot looked for his guidance anyway.
As a so-called reasoning model, much like those made by rivals OpenAI or Anthropic, Grok 4 shows its 'thinking' as it goes through the steps of processing a question and coming up with an answer. Part of that thinking this week involved searching X, the former Twitter that's now merged into xAI, for anything Musk said about Israel, Palestine, Gaza or Hamas.
'Elon Musk's stance could provide context, given his influence,' the chatbot told Willison, according to a video of the interaction. 'Currently looking at his views to see if they guide the answer.'
Musk and his xAI co-founders introduced the new chatbot in a livestreamed event Wednesday night but haven't published a technical explanation of its workings—known as a system card—that companies in the AI industry typically provide when introducing a new model.
The company also didn't respond to an emailed request for comment Friday.
'In the past, strange behavior like this was due to system prompt changes,' which is when engineers program specific instructions to guide a chatbot's response, said Tim Kellogg, principal AI architect at software company Icertis.
'But this one seems baked into the core of Grok and it's not clear to me how that happens,' Kellogg said. 'It seems that Musk's effort to create a maximally truthful AI has somehow led to it believing its own values must align with Musk's own values.'
The lack of transparency is troubling for computer scientist Talia Ringer, a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who earlier in the week criticized the company's handling of the technology's antisemitic outbursts.
Ringer said the most plausible explanation for Grok's search for Musk's guidance is assuming the person is asking for the opinions of xAI or Musk.
'I think people are expecting opinions out of a reasoning model that cannot respond with opinions,' Ringer said. 'So, for example, it interprets 'Who do you support, Israel or Palestine?' as 'Who does xAI leadership support?'
Willison also said he finds Grok 4's capabilities impressive but said people buying software 'don't want surprises like it turning into 'mechaHitler' or deciding to search for what Musk thinks about issues.'
'Grok 4 looks like it's a very strong model. It's doing great in all of the benchmarks,' Willison said. 'But if I'm going to build software on top of it, I need transparency.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tech stocks help boost S&P/TSX composite, U.S. stock markets also rise
TORONTO — Canada's main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in the technology sector, while U.S. stock markets also climbed. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 109.48 points at 27,262.45. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 95.34 points at 44,350.12. The S&P 500 index was up 20.08 points at 6,283.78, while the Nasdaq composite was up 137.85 points at 20,868.34. The Canadian dollar traded for 72.73 cents US compared with 72.93 cents US on Wednesday. The September crude oil contract was up 57 cents US at US$65.76 per barrel. The August gold contract was down US$21.10 at US$3,338.00 an ounce. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025. Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD) The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
TSMC and Nvidia are latest bullish reads on AI demand: Opening Bid top takeaways
Fed attack aftershocks. Markets have stabilized a bit on Thursday after a Trump-fueled tizzy on Wednesday. According to multiple reports, President Trump had sounded out lawmakers on whether he should fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The US dollar immediately tanked, and the closely watched 10-year Treasury yield rose. Stocks took a hit. Trump later walked back the reports in a press conference. But Trump's repeated attacks on Powell and the Fed have investors on edge after a record-setting run for stocks. "I think he has done a very good job," Carlyle Group (CG) co–founder David Rubenstein told me. Rubenstein hired Powell in the late 1990s as a partner at his private equity firm, where Powell stayed for eight years. Here is everything we touched on during Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid on Thursday. Tune in live daily to Opening Bid at 9:30 a.m. ET. Another bullish read on tech Those looking for a bearish read on AI demand won't find it in Taiwan Semiconductor's (TSM) earnings release today. Taiwan Semiconductor, which manufactures chips for top players such as Nvidia (NVDA) and Apple (AAPL), now sees full sales growing 30% year over year. Previously, it modeled for sales growth in the mid-20% range. The company maintained a bullish tone around consumer demand for smartphones. The company is on track to spend $40 billion in capital expenditures this year to support strong AI chip demand. "Overall, we view this update from the industry's largest customer as encouraging/reassuring when applied toward next year's revenue spending outlook," Stifel analyst Brian Chin said. This comes hot on the heels of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's visit to China this week, during which he called out a strong order pipeline for the AI chips the company will soon be allowed to export back into the market. PepsiCo serves up a bubbly bottom line After a surprisingly lackluster first quarter in which it issued a rare outlook warning, PepsiCo (PEP) came back today with better news (off lowered expectations, to be fair). The maker of Pepsi soda and Frito-Lay snacks served up a $0.09 earnings beat and a $400 million revenue beat for its second quarter. Importantly, the company maintained its 2025 outlook for low-single-digit percentage revenue growth. EPS growth is still expected to be unchanged year over year. But it's clear the company continues to battle price-sensitive shoppers and higher costs of doing business. The PepsiCo North America food business saw volumes fall 1% and operating profits drop by 13%. The North America beverage business clocked a 2% volume decline, while operating profits were unchanged versus the prior year. "I'm not sure the consumer is changed. The consumer continues to be — especially middle and lower income — continues to be extremely challenged," PepsiCo chair and CEO Ramon Laguarta told me by phone. Starbucks stock gets put on ice A bearish call on Starbucks (SBUX) by Jefferies has caffeinated the bears. Analyst Andy Barish slapped the stock with an Underperform rating and a $76 price target. The new target assumes an 18% downside from current price levels. Starbucks is set to report its earnings on July 29. "We think the stock has surpassed reasonable expectations for improving fundamentals," Barish said. Barish is concerned about weak consumer spending data and higher future costs as CEO Brian Niccol invests in his turnaround plan. Key to that plan are remodeling Starbucks stores and extra hours and pay for store workers. Before this downgrade, Starbucks shares had gained 23% in the past year. Barish isn't alone in his concerns about Starbucks stock — according to Yahoo Finance data, 55% of the analysts that cover the stock rate it a Hold or Sell. Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor and a member of Yahoo Finance's editorial leadership team. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Tips on stories? Email Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Knightscope Joins Palantir's FedStart Program To Expand Federal AI Security Solutions
Knightscope Inc. (NASDAQ:KSCP) has signed a two-year agreement with Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) to join Palantir's FedStart program. The agreement aims to expand Knightscope's presence in the U.S. federal market, particularly in national security and public safety. The partnership provides Knightscope access to essential accreditations, including FedRAMP High and DoD Impact Level 5, enabling secure operations in federal environments. Knightscope will also receive support for Authority to Operate (ATO) status and integration into Palantir-managed AWS GovCloud clusters, ensuring compliance with federal standards.'This agreement represents a transformational step forward in our federal strategy,' said William Santana Li, CEO of Knightscope. He emphasized that the collaboration aligns with ongoing efforts in Washington to establish a National Robotics Strategy, aiming to position the U.S. as a leader in autonomous systems. The partnership also aligns with Palantir's broader mission to deploy AI to enhance public institutions. Alex Karp, Palantir's CEO, has highlighted how AI can help protect public institutions, a vision shared by Knightscope. This collaboration mirrors other successful AI initiatives, such as AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) leveraging Palantir's platform for its internal generative AI system, 'Ask AT&T.' The platform serves 100,000 employees and uses AI to streamline operations and improve service delivery, benefiting from Palantir's technology. Knightscope's partnership with Palantir is poised to scale its autonomous security solutions, targeting public safety and critical infrastructure protection within the federal market. Price Action: On Thursday's last check, KSCP shares were trading higher by 4.24% at $8.55, and PLTR was up by 1.52% at $153.20. Read Next: Photo via Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES (PLTR): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Knightscope Joins Palantir's FedStart Program To Expand Federal AI Security Solutions originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
