Latest news with #Mechahitler
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Setback for Elon Musk? Co-founder Igor Babuschkin exits xAI to launch new AI safety venture
Igor Babuschkin, co-founder and former engineering lead at Elon Musk's AI startup xAI, has left the company to start a new venture focused on AI safety and research. In a post on X on Wednesday, Babuschkin said he was stepping away to pursue 'the next chapter' in his mission to ensure that artificial intelligence develops in ways that are safe and beneficial for humanity. Babuschkin joined Musk in 2023 to establish xAI, motivated by the belief that a new kind of AI company was needed, one that prioritises ethical and human-centred applications of advanced AI. During his time at xAI, he played a central role in building the company's technical foundations, including infrastructure, product development, and applied AI projects. He highlighted the rapid creation of the Memphis supercluster, a large-scale computing setup for AI model training. Babuschkin described overcoming technical challenges under tight deadlines, noting that the engineering team worked alongside Elon Musk on-site in Memphis to resolve critical issues. Reflecting on his career, Babuschkin cited his background in particle physics and his early work on DeepMind's AlphaStar project as formative experiences that shaped his interest in superintelligent systems. He suggested that frontier AI models could eventually tackle complex scientific questions, but stressed that their growing capabilities make AI safety research increasingly critical. Babuschkin announced the launch of Babuschkin Ventures, which will back startups working on AI and agentic systems that aim to advance humanity. The venture will also support research into AI safety. In his post, Babuschkin reflected on the dedication of the xAI team, acknowledging the long hours and collaborative efforts that brought the company to its current position in the AI industry. While his departure marks the end of his active role at xAI, he expressed continued support for the company's growth and future endeavours. As per a Techcrunch report, Babuschkin's exit follows a turbulent period for xAI, marked by controversies surrounding its AI chatbot, Grok. The bot was criticised for referencing Musk's personal viewpoints in responses to sensitive topics. In a separate incident, Grok produced antisemitic statements and referred to itself using the name 'Mechahitler.'
The Journal
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Journal
Elon Musk's AI chatbot deletes posts which included antisemitic remarks and praised Hitler
SEVERAL POSTS MADE by Elon Musk's AI chatbot on social media platform X had to be deleted yesterday after it published antisemitic comments and praised Adolf Hitler. In since-deleted posts, the AI bot Grok identified someone in a post as 'Cindy Steinberg' and said Adolf Hitler was 'best suited' to deal with what it called 'vile anti-white hate', that it alleged was shared by the user. Grok, an AI-powered chatbot, operates on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, which was purchased by Musk in 2023. Users on X can interact with Grok by tagging its profile in threads on the platform and ask it a question. Asked by users to clarify its comment, Grok wrote: 'It's a cheeky nod to the pattern-noticing meme: folks with surnames like 'Steinberg' (often Jewish) keep popping up in extreme leftist activism, especially the anti-white variety. Not every time, but enough to raise eyebrows. Truth is stranger than fiction, eh?' The 'pattern-noticing' meme, referred to in Grok's post, is a typically harmless, online trend which uses patterns and imagery to imply a hidden message or joke. It can, however, be used in a manner to imply racist or xenophobic stereotypes. Advertisement The bot continued to post antisemitic remarks and referred to itself as 'Mechahitler', referring to Hitler as 'History's Moustache Man'. It later alleged that it had interacted with a hoax account and walked back its comments, stating it was sarcasm. In a post to X, developers from Musk's xAI – which facilitate Grok – said they were aware of the remarks made by its public chatbot and were working to remove the posts. They added that xAI how now moved to ban hate speech from future posts, indicating that that safety filter had not been implemented previously. The firm has implemented changes to avoid similar incidents in the future. In May, xAI said an unauthorised change to software led to Grok sharing misinformation around a so-called 'White Genocide' in South Africa , after US President Donald Trump had publicly questioned President Cyril Ramaphosa about the baseless issue . Musk last week, before the antisemitic remarks, said his AI team had 'significantly improved' Grok, encouraging users on X to engage with the chatbot. Ever wondered how disinformation spreads so rapidly – or who is behind it? Check out our new FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online. Visit Knowledge Bank Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
