Musk's xAI faces European scrutiny over Grok's ‘horrific' antisemitic posts
A spokesperson for the European Commission told CNBC via e-mail that a technical meeting will take place on Tuesday.
xAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sandro Gozi, a member of Italy's parliament and member of the Renew Europe group, last week urged the Commission to hold a formal inquiry.
'The case raises serious concerns about compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA) as well as the governance of generative AI in the Union's digital space,' Gozi wrote.
X was already under a Commission probe for possible violations of the DSA.
Grok also generated and spread offensive posts about political leaders in Poland and Turkey, including Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Turkish President Recep Erdogan.
Over the weekend, xAI posted a statement apologising for the hateful content.
'First off, we deeply apologise for the horrific behaviour that many experienced. ... After careful investigation, we discovered the root cause was an update to a code path upstream of the @grok bot,' the company said in the statement.
Musk and his xAI team launched a new version of Grok Wednesday night amid the backlash. Musk called it 'the smartest AI in the world.'
xAI works with other businesses run and largely owned by Musk, including Tesla, the publicly traded automaker, and SpaceX, the US aerospace and defence contractor.
Despite Grok's recent outburst of hate speech, the US Department of Defence awarded xAI a $US200 million ($305 million) contract to develop AI. Anthropic, Google and OpenAI also received AI contracts.
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Russian drones attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure
Russia has attacked cities across Ukraine with hundreds of drones and a missile strike, hitting energy infrastructure and wounding at least 15 people. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 400 drones and one ballistic missile overnight, primarily targeting Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Vinnytsia - three cities in different parts of Ukraine. The large-scale long-range attacks targeted energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X on Wednesday. Power was cut for 80,000 families in Kryvyi Rih and other locations in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK said on the Telegram app. The air force said it had shot down most of the drones, but that 12 targets were hit by 57 drones and the missile. Russia has stepped up attacks on cities across Ukraine this summer, regularly sending several hundred drones accompanied by ballistic missiles. The attacks were cited by US President Donald Trump this week as a reason for his decision to approve more weapons for Ukraine, including air defences. "Russia does not change its strategy, and to effectively counter this terror we need a systemic strengthening of defences: more air defences, more interceptor (drones), more determination to make Russia feel our response," Zelenskiy wrote. In Vinnytsia and the surrounding region, eight people were wounded, according to Ukraine's interior ministry. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X that drones had hit a factory of the Polish wood flooring producer Barlinek Group in Vinnytsia, which is in the western part of central Ukraine. "The plant manager told me just now that it was deliberate, from three directions ... Putin's criminal war is getting closer to our borders," he said. The head of the military administration in Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, said Russian forces conducted an extended attack with a missile and 28 drones. He said water supplies had also been disrupted in some areas. A 17-year-old boy had been severely injured in the attack and was fighting for his life in hospital, Vilkul said. In Kharkiv, a frequent target of Russian attacks, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least 17 explosions were recorded in a 20-minute drone attack in which three people were injured. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defence units had gone into action for a time in the capital, but there were no reports of casualties or damage there. Russia has killed thousands of civilians in attacks on Ukrainian cities since launching its full-scale invasion more than three years ago. Moscow says civilian infrastructure such as energy systems are legitimate targets because they help Ukraine's war effort. Ukraine also launches long-range strikes on targets in Russia, although on a more limited scale. Russia has attacked cities across Ukraine with hundreds of drones and a missile strike, hitting energy infrastructure and wounding at least 15 people. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 400 drones and one ballistic missile overnight, primarily targeting Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Vinnytsia - three cities in different parts of Ukraine. The large-scale long-range attacks targeted energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X on Wednesday. Power was cut for 80,000 families in Kryvyi Rih and other locations in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK said on the Telegram app. The air force said it had shot down most of the drones, but that 12 targets were hit by 57 drones and the missile. Russia has stepped up attacks on cities across Ukraine this summer, regularly sending several hundred drones accompanied by ballistic missiles. The attacks were cited by US President Donald Trump this week as a reason for his decision to approve more weapons for Ukraine, including air defences. "Russia does not change its strategy, and to effectively counter this terror we need a systemic strengthening of defences: more air defences, more interceptor (drones), more determination to make Russia feel our response," Zelenskiy wrote. In Vinnytsia and the surrounding region, eight people were wounded, according to Ukraine's interior ministry. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X that drones had hit a factory of the Polish wood flooring producer Barlinek Group in Vinnytsia, which is in the western part of central Ukraine. "The plant manager told me just now that it was deliberate, from three directions ... Putin's criminal war is getting closer to our borders," he said. The head of the military administration in Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, said Russian forces conducted an extended attack with a missile and 28 drones. He said water supplies had also been disrupted in some areas. A 17-year-old boy had been severely injured in the attack and was fighting for his life in hospital, Vilkul said. In Kharkiv, a frequent target of Russian attacks, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least 17 explosions were recorded in a 20-minute drone attack in which three people were injured. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defence units had gone into action for a time in the capital, but there were no reports of casualties or damage there. Russia has killed thousands of civilians in attacks on Ukrainian cities since launching its full-scale invasion more than three years ago. Moscow says civilian infrastructure such as energy systems are legitimate targets because they help Ukraine's war effort. Ukraine also launches long-range strikes on targets in Russia, although on a more limited scale. Russia has attacked cities across Ukraine with hundreds of drones and a missile strike, hitting energy infrastructure and wounding at least 15 people. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 400 drones and one ballistic missile overnight, primarily targeting Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Vinnytsia - three cities in different parts of Ukraine. The large-scale long-range attacks targeted energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X on Wednesday. Power was cut for 80,000 families in Kryvyi Rih and other locations in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK said on the Telegram app. The air force said it had shot down most of the drones, but that 12 targets were hit by 57 drones and the missile. Russia has stepped up attacks on cities across Ukraine this summer, regularly sending several hundred drones accompanied by ballistic missiles. The attacks were cited by US President Donald Trump this week as a reason for his decision to approve more weapons for Ukraine, including air defences. "Russia does not change its strategy, and to effectively counter this terror we need a systemic strengthening of defences: more air defences, more interceptor (drones), more determination to make Russia feel our response," Zelenskiy wrote. In Vinnytsia and the surrounding region, eight people were wounded, according to Ukraine's interior ministry. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X that drones had hit a factory of the Polish wood flooring producer Barlinek Group in Vinnytsia, which is in the western part of central Ukraine. "The plant manager told me just now that it was deliberate, from three directions ... Putin's criminal war is getting closer to our borders," he said. The head of the military administration in Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, said Russian forces conducted an extended attack with a missile and 28 drones. He said water supplies had also been disrupted in some areas. A 17-year-old boy had been severely injured in the attack and was fighting for his life in hospital, Vilkul said. In Kharkiv, a frequent target of Russian attacks, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least 17 explosions were recorded in a 20-minute drone attack in which three people were injured. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defence units had gone into action for a time in the capital, but there were no reports of casualties or damage there. Russia has killed thousands of civilians in attacks on Ukrainian cities since launching its full-scale invasion more than three years ago. Moscow says civilian infrastructure such as energy systems are legitimate targets because they help Ukraine's war effort. Ukraine also launches long-range strikes on targets in Russia, although on a more limited scale. Russia has attacked cities across Ukraine with hundreds of drones and a missile strike, hitting energy infrastructure and wounding at least 15 people. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 400 drones and one ballistic missile overnight, primarily targeting Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Vinnytsia - three cities in different parts of Ukraine. The large-scale long-range attacks targeted energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X on Wednesday. Power was cut for 80,000 families in Kryvyi Rih and other locations in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK said on the Telegram app. The air force said it had shot down most of the drones, but that 12 targets were hit by 57 drones and the missile. Russia has stepped up attacks on cities across Ukraine this summer, regularly sending several hundred drones accompanied by ballistic missiles. The attacks were cited by US President Donald Trump this week as a reason for his decision to approve more weapons for Ukraine, including air defences. "Russia does not change its strategy, and to effectively counter this terror we need a systemic strengthening of defences: more air defences, more interceptor (drones), more determination to make Russia feel our response," Zelenskiy wrote. In Vinnytsia and the surrounding region, eight people were wounded, according to Ukraine's interior ministry. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X that drones had hit a factory of the Polish wood flooring producer Barlinek Group in Vinnytsia, which is in the western part of central Ukraine. "The plant manager told me just now that it was deliberate, from three directions ... Putin's criminal war is getting closer to our borders," he said. The head of the military administration in Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, said Russian forces conducted an extended attack with a missile and 28 drones. He said water supplies had also been disrupted in some areas. A 17-year-old boy had been severely injured in the attack and was fighting for his life in hospital, Vilkul said. In Kharkiv, a frequent target of Russian attacks, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least 17 explosions were recorded in a 20-minute drone attack in which three people were injured. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defence units had gone into action for a time in the capital, but there were no reports of casualties or damage there. Russia has killed thousands of civilians in attacks on Ukrainian cities since launching its full-scale invasion more than three years ago. Moscow says civilian infrastructure such as energy systems are legitimate targets because they help Ukraine's war effort. Ukraine also launches long-range strikes on targets in Russia, although on a more limited scale.
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Trump's misguided wars are starting to hurt the American people
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Given that US importers started front-loading their inventories in anticipation of the tariffs and continue to do so – they'll have had at least four or five months to build their stocks before the bulk of the more punitive tariffs cut in next month, assuming they aren't deferred again – the full impact of Trump's trade war on the rest of the world won't be known until, at the earliest, late this year. Apart from the stockpiling, it can take a month from the point importers are ordered to ship goods from Asia to the US, and goods shipped before the tariffs come into effect are exempt from them. There are a lot of lags, some of them now considerable, before tariffs announced in April actually flow through to consumer prices and the inflation rate. Separate to the reciprocal tariffs, the 30 per cent rate Trump has threatened to impose on imports from the European Union and Mexico, the 50 per cent tariff on Brazil, the 50 per cent tariff on copper and more sectoral tariffs on pharmaceuticals, timber and semiconductors are also yet to come. The Yale Budget Lab says that, once those tariffs announced so far are implemented, including the tariffs on the EU and Mexico, the overall effective average tariff rate will be 20.6 per cent, the highest since 1910. Prices would rise by 2.1 per cent in the near term, equivalent to an average per-household loss of income of $US2800 (about $4300). The Yale researchers also say that the tariffs announced to date will raise $US2.5 trillion through to 2035. While Trump repeatedly (and falsely) claims that the revenue is coming from the exporting countries, Goldman Sachs economists says US consumers will end up paying about 70 per cent of the increased costs to importers. Loading The exporters might shave their margins, as might the importing companies who actually pay the increased customs duties when the goods pass through the US border, but the overwhelming majority of the cost of Trump's tariffs will be a tax on US households' consumption. That's why Trump's claim that his tariffs will raise billions of revenue (which they will), while having no impact on inflation or the economy (they will have an impact) only makes sense if you believe him when he says the exporters will pay the tariffs (which they won't). The Yale Budget Lab says the tariffs to date will reduce US GDP by 0.9 percentage points initially and 0.5 percentage points thereafter, or about $US135 billion a year in 2025 dollars. Higher inflation rates and lower economic growth equates to stagflation, which would be the Fed's worst nightmare. It would be forced to either target the inflation rate with higher interest rates or rising unemployment with lower rates but even higher inflation. That's why, despite Trump's verbal assaults on the Fed and its chair, Jerome Powell, the Fed is sitting on its hands and will continue to do so until there is a clearer picture of the likely effects of the tariffs. Trump and the Republicans have been stepping up their attacks on Powell, with the director of Trump's national economic advisers, Kevin Hassett, saying this week that the administration is still looking for the grounds to fire him. Trump really wants a rate cut. Republicans have seized on costs blowouts in the renovation of the Fed's ageing and asbestos-riddled Washington headquarters to target Powell and to try to develop the grounds to fire him 'for cause,' the only legitimate way a Fed chair can be removed. Bessent, who says the administration has started a formal process to identify Powell's successor when his term as chair expires next May, also says Powell should step down as a Fed governor at that point. His term as a board member doesn't end until 2028. The administration's current strategy appears to be that it will appoint a chair-elect in January, when term of another governor, Adriana Kugler, ends. That would undermine Powell's authority before he vacates the chair, although it might also see the incoming chair isolated by the rest of the board. Those sectors that are most tariff-exposed – fresh fruit and vegetables, household appliances and furniture, toys, clothing and sporting goods – all experienced prices increases. Trump has made it clear that a precondition of the new chair's appointment will be their willingness to lower rates, with the most likely candidates – Hassett, Bessent, former governor Kevin Warsh and current governor Christopher Waller – all currently auditioning for the role by trying to demonstrate their rate-cutting credentials. If, as the new chair takes Powell's seat at the Fed's board table, inflation is spiking because of Trump's tariffs, the Fed will be in an invidious position, with its independence and credibility – and the stability of America's bond and sharemarkets and its currency – at risk if it doesn't respond with higher rates.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Life's a breech
'The spectacular photo in the Herald of two humpback whales simultaneously breeching made me think that there should be a name for it,' muses Richard Volzke of North Ryde. 'Maybe a 'camel breech'?' Nice one, and while we're considering this, big props to our photographic editor Danielle Smith, who captured pair in full flight. Janice Creenaune of Austinmer is well aware of the politician/pet dynamic (C8): 'My youngest son, living in Brooklyn during Trump's initial term, owned a small stuffed Trump doll. Unfortunately, his rescue dog (a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever called Murray) nearly destroyed it. While visiting, I dutifully and carefully sewed up the doll and continued to stuff it. It was the only toy Murray 'went for' but it kept me busy while visiting (over and over again). I'm not sure of its status during the current presidential term.' 'With the federal government now having an anti-Islamophobia envoy and an anti-Semitic envoy, is it time we also had an anti-Septic envoy?' asks Mark Pearce of Springwood. 'As I have noticed an increasing dislike of Yanks since Donald Trump started attacking the rest of the world.' Noted sideshow tragic, David Prest of Thrumster, feels the need to correct fellow salt, Andrew McCarthy (C8): 'To redress and end the misconceptions by 'sprog' McCarthy (1973 entry into HMAS Nirimba) about my 'rat-like' ability to climb drainpipes and to maintain the dubious honour of those fellow climbers from the Nirimba, I was a late developer in that 'gymnastic' ability.' James White of Beveridge thinks the phrase requires more of a nautical vibe: 'Like a rat up a hawser more precisely, or a rat up a backspring?' More on the folly of the European car (C8), this time, from Kerrie Wehbe of Blacktown. 'Last week, while driving our old Toyota to drop it off for repairs, I followed my husband, who drove ahead in our new MG so he could bring me home. I didn't know the route, but I knew when he was going to turn, as the wipers came on every time. He reported later that the sight of me laughing in his rearview mirror didn't help matters.' 'My late father also confused Aldi and Audi,' says William Galton of Hurstville Grove. 'He would also enjoy a roast of the day at his club's Calvary and when my daughter completed Year 12, asked her how she went in her HCF.'
