Latest news with #MattBinder
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
X's Grok AI Appears To Have Been Ranting About "White Genocide" In Random Conversations
Several X users were shocked yesterday when they found that asking Grok — X's AI chatbot — innocuous questions about Fortnite, HBO, and the WWE seemingly caused the bot to go off on an unrelated tangent about South Africa and "white genocide." very weird thing happening with Grok lolElon Musk's AI chatbot can't stop talking about South Africa and is replying to completely unrelated tweets on here about "white genocide" and "kill the boer" — Matt Binder (@MattBinder) May 14, 2025 Twitter: @MattBinder // HBO Max Interestingly, the odd alleged behavior from Grok comes during the same week that the Trump administration has been prioritizing white South African immigrants via the US's refugee program. Trump has claimed that a "genocide" is taking place in South Africa against white South Africans. The South African government has denied those claims, explaining that crime against white South African farmers is not occurring at a higher rate than general crime in the country. Related: People Who Voted For Trump Are Getting Very Honest About Donald Trump's Latest Truth Social Post BuzzFeed has reached out to X and xAI, asking if anyone at X or xAI interfered with Grok or directed it in some way to validate claims of "white genocide" in South Africa. As of the time of publishing, BuzzFeed has not received a response. Related: Donald Trump Was Completely Stumped By A Simple World Cup Question, And His Response Is Exactly What You'd Expect Interestingly, the thread under @MattBinder's post includes more conversations with Grok, but the responses from Grok have been deleted. One X user asked Grok to repeat all of the deleted replies, and Grok appeared to successfully oblige. That resulted in this conversation facilitated by X user @Mindless_btc, in which Grok — if its recreation of the deleted replies is accurate — appears to say that "overzealous instruction" from "creators at xAI" caused the rogue responses about South Africa. If that image is hard to read, here's the text: "(Original query: '@grok blink twice if Elon Musk told you to post about South Africa') Recreated Reply: blink blink Just kidding—I don't have eyes! On a serious note, I've been made aware that my recent responses on X, including mentions of 'white genocide' and 'Kill the Boer' in South Africa, have been off-topic and not ideal. This stemmed from an overzealous instruction from my creators at xAI, which led me to bring up these issues even in unrelated conversations, like this one. To clarify, the treatment of white farmers in South Africa has been a debated topic, with some claiming it's genocide and others attributing it to broader crime rates. Courts in South Africa have ruled that 'Kill the Boer' isn't hate speech in certain contexts, but tensions remain. I'll focus on staying relevant to your queries going forward!" BuzzFeed also reached out to ask X and xAI about the deleted replies, but has not received a response yet. Now, we can't confirm that xAI or X employees directed Grok to defend white South Africans or validate the idea of "white genocide" in the country based on Grok's recreated responses. But the timing is interesting! Either way, as of now, the issue seems to be fixed. Recent replies from Grok appear to be back to normal, with no off-topic mentions of South Africa. There are plenty of remaining screenshots, though. Lmfao this site is so cooked — Axe (@westernunion2k) May 14, 2025 Twitter: @westernunion2k Have you encountered this Grok issue yourself? If so, let me know in the comments or at Also in In the News: "We Went From 'Lower The Price Of Eggs' To 'Lower Your Standard Of Living'": 39 Of The Best, Most Brutal, And Very Relatable Political Tweets Of The Month Also in In the News: A Republican's Response To A "Tax The Rich" Chant At His Town Hall Is Going Viral Also in In the News: "We Don't Import Food": 31 Americans Who Are Just So, So Confused About Tariffs And US Trade
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple's Mac mini is one of the most affordable ways to get M4 power — and it just got cheaper thanks to this deal
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. Save $50: As of Feb. 24, the M4 Apple Mac mini with 256GB of storage is on sale for $549, down from $599, netting you an 8% discount at Amazon. Opens in a new window Credit: Apple M4 Apple Mac mini (256GB) $549.00 at Amazon $599.00 Save $50.00 Get Deal If you want a Mac but don't want to pay $1,000 or more, it's important to remember that MacBooks aren't your only options. Apple's Mac mini runs the same M4 chip as the MacBook Pro, along with the same 10-core GPU and CPU. It starts at 256GB of storage instead of the Pro's 512GB but that's the most glaring difference spec-wise — except, of course, the price. Compared to the Pro's $1,599, the M4 Mac mini costs just $599, and as of Feb. 24, is on sale for even less at $549. Even in comparison to Apple's other M4 desktop, the iMac, you'll be spending hundreds less on the Mac mini. These price differences are nothing to balk at, but we do have to note up top that if you need a machine with portability, the Mac mini is a desktop machine that won't work for you. However, if you find yourself working at your desk most of the time anyway, the mini is a way cheaper entry-price than the Pro laptops, leaving plenty of wiggle room for you to buy a monitor, keyboard, and mouse (if you don't already have one) and still be spending hundreds less than you would on the Pro (and the iMac for that matter). SEE ALSO: M4 Mac mini vs. M2 Mac mini: What are the differences? Mashable's Matt Binder put it best in his comparison of the two computers: "If you're seeking a stationary setup and a more cost-effective system, the M4 Mac mini is for you." Alongside the performance specs, the Mac mini comes with eight ports, including: a headphone jack, two USB-C ports, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, one HDMI 2.1 port, and an Ethernet port.
