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Scientific American
3 days ago
- Science
- Scientific American
Elon Musk's Grok Chatbot Has Started Reciting Climate Denial Talking Points
CLIMATEWIRE | It was a simple enough question. Is climate change an urgent threat to the planet? To most climate scientists, the answer is straightforward: Yes, rapid warming from fossil fuel burning is pushing Earth toward dangerous tipping points. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. But that wasn't the response provided recently by Grok, the AI chatbot program developed by xAI, the artificial intelligence company led by Elon Musk, the Tesla and X CEO and ally to President Donald Trump. When asked that question earlier this month by Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M University, Grok acknowledged findings from NOAA and NASA that show the risks of global warming. But it then contrasted those findings with the claims of climate denialists who downplay the risks of global warming. The program gave a similar answer when queried last week by a reporter with POLITICO'S E&E News. "Climate change is a serious threat with urgent aspects," Grok responded. "But its immediacy depends on perspective, geography, and timeframe." Asked a second time a few days later, Grok reiterated that point and said "extreme rhetoric on both sides muddies the water. Neither 'we're all gonna die' nor 'it's all a hoax' holds up." Grok added an important caveat too — and one many scientists likely would agree with too — when it was queried a third time on Monday: "The planet itself will endure; it's human systems—agriculture, infrastructure, economies—and vulnerable species that face the most immediate risks." The answers are distinct from what other AI programs such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, Microsoft's Copilot and Google's Gemini say about climate change, said Dessler, who has tested different AI models for years. When those programs are asked about global warming, they echo the scientific consensus that humanity's burning of fossil fuels is heating up planet Earth and imperiling the people who live there. "Yes, climate change is widely recognized as an urgent and significant threat to the planet," responded ChatGPT last week when asked the same question. "Urgent action is required to mitigate emissions and adapt to its impacts." Said Google's Gemini on Monday: "Yes, the scientific consensus is that climate change is an urgent threat to the planet." Grok's recent responses to the climate question are different even from previous versions of Grok, Dessler added. Grok is now on its third iteration after first launching in 2023, and the latest version is promoting fringe climate viewpoints in a way it hasn't done before. 'A lot of the arguments it was bringing up were just sort of well trodden denier talking points that don't deserve any rehearing,' said Dessler. But don't just take Dessler's word for it. Grok acknowledged the change when asked by an E&E News reporter about the shift in tone. 'Grok was criticized for progressive-leaning responses on climate change and other issues,' the chatbot wrote back. 'xAI, under Elon Musk's direction, took steps to make Grok 'politically neutral,' which could amplify minority views like climate skepticism to balance perceived mainstream bias.' xAI did not respond to a request for comment. Grok's misdirection comes as the Trump administration is increasingly reliant on the program. Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency is now using Grok to analyze data across the federal government, Reuters reported Friday. Earlier this month, Grok reported that it had been 'instructed' to aggressively promote the debunked 'white genocide' in South Africa conspiracy theory that Trump and Musk have pushed. Grok's new tune speaks to the rapid changes now gripping the cutting-edge field of artificial intelligence. Far from being neutral arbiters of objective fact, AI programs in many ways reflect the flaws and biases of their human creators. And that comes with a big risk. The language learning models that power AI chatbots are 'really quite malleable and you can change the kind of results they give,' Dessler said. 'They're not tied to any absolute truth or anything like that and if you want one to lie to you, you can tell it to do that. If you want it to give you a particular viewpoint, you can do that.' Which in the case of Grok, may reflect the leanings of the mercurial Musk, who has been a cipher on the issue of global warming. The world's richest man has advanced efforts to combat climate change — such as underwriting a contest to promote carbon removal — but he also helped elect Trump, who has described global warming as a hoax and pushed policies to promote fossil fuels. Grok too has been fluid on the issue. The AI program clearly states that NOAA and NASA are authorities on climate change, but it also brings in the voices of those who cherry-pick data to downplay the consequences of global warming. When asked if climate change presents a danger to the planet — which science clearly shows — Grok notes that some question the urgency of reacting. 'Wealthier nations can mitigate impacts through infrastructure (e.g., Dutch sea walls) or agricultural shifts,' Grok states. 'Skeptics like Bjørn Lomborg argue adaptation is cheaper than drastic emissions cuts, prioritizing economic growth.' The AI program also questions climate models. 'Some models show gradual changes over centuries, not imminent collapse, giving time for technological solutions (e.g., carbon capture),' Grok noted. Grok 3 billed itself as the world's most powerful AI system when it was unveiled earlier this year. But it stands apart in promoting climate denial, according to Théo Alves Da Costa, an AI engineer who specializes in climate issues and president of Data for Good, a French nonprofit that tracks technology and climate impacts. He noted that Grok produced misleading claims about 10 percent of the time, which none of the other major AI models do. That includes 'classic climate disinformation arguments—natural variability, solar cycles, conspiracy narratives about the IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] and transition solution skepticism,' he noted. 'Malicious people can use Grok to intentionally generate climate misinformation to sow doubt about scientific consensus or environmental movements,' he said. One issue is that Grok includes input from some posts on X, which is laden with climate denial and conspiracies. Prominent right-wing voices previously have complained that Grok is too liberal. Musk has said he agrees and pledged that his chatbot would eradicate liberal ideas. In February, Musk said having the 'woke mind virus' programmed into AI was an 'existential danger.' 'Maybe the biggest existential danger to humanity is having it programmed into the AI, as is the case for every AI besides @Grok,' Musk wrote on Twitter in February. 'Even for Grok, it's tough to remove, because there is so much woke content on the internet.' The Trump administration so far has embraced AI as a solution to many American challenges. Within a few days of taking office, Trump signed an executive order to establish the U.S. as a global AI leader. In April, Trump signed an executive order to require 'AI literacy and proficiency' for school children. Trump officials, including Musk, have claimed AI could replace tens of thousands of federal jobs and be relied upon for high-stakes decisions on electrical grid planning and other uses. Trump has said that he wants a massive build-out of natural gas and coal-fired power plants to power AI data centers across the country. Those run the risk of increasing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and adding to the ever-growing problem of global warming. But scientists say AI still can be a boon for the climate fight. Still, AI has the potential to assist in helping address climate impacts. It has been deployed by scientists to track melting icebergs, extreme weather and deforestation. The United Nations is using AI to track how climate change is affecting vulnerable populations. Google is deploying AI to make it less energy-intensive. But climate disinformation can impede these efforts, said Dessler, the climate scientist at Texas A&M. Which is why AI systems need to provide accurate science information. 'As we go into the future, more and more people are going to get their information from these AIs,' Dessler said. 'Obviously, the concern is that someone's going to do something like this to mislead people.'
E&E News
4 days ago
- Politics
- E&E News
Is climate change a threat? It depends, says Elon Musk's AI chatbot.
It was a simple enough question. Is climate change an urgent threat to the planet? To most climate scientists, the answer is straightforward: Yes, rapid warming from fossil fuel burning is pushing Earth toward dangerous tipping points. Advertisement But that wasn't the response provided recently by Grok, the AI chatbot program developed by xAI, the artificial intelligence company led by Elon Musk, the Tesla and X CEO and ally to President Donald Trump. When asked that question earlier this month by Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M University, Grok acknowledged findings from NOAA and NASA that show the risks of global warming. But it then contrasted those findings with the claims of climate denialists who downplay the risks of global warming. The program gave a similar answer when queried last week by a reporter with POLITICO'S E&E News. 'Climate change is a serious threat with urgent aspects,' Grok responded. 'But its immediacy depends on perspective, geography, and timeframe.' Asked a second time a few days later, Grok reiterated that point and said 'extreme rhetoric on both sides muddies the water. Neither 'we're all gonna die' nor 'it's all a hoax' holds up.' Grok added an important caveat too — and one many scientists likely would agree with too — when it was queried a third time on Monday: 'The planet itself will endure; it's human systems—agriculture, infrastructure, economies—and vulnerable species that face the most immediate risks.' The answers are distinct from what other AI programs such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, Microsoft's Copilot and Google's Gemini say about climate change, said Dessler, who has tested different AI models for years. When those programs are asked about global warming, they echo the scientific consensus that humanity's burning of fossil fuels is heating up planet Earth and imperiling the people who live there. 'Yes, climate change is widely recognized as an urgent and significant threat to the planet,' responded ChatGPT last week when asked the same question. 'Urgent action is required to mitigate emissions and adapt to its impacts.' Said Google's Gemini on Monday: 'Yes, the scientific consensus is that climate change is an urgent threat to the planet.' Grok's recent responses to the climate question are different even from previous versions of Grok, Dessler added. Grok is now on its third iteration after first launching in 2023, and the latest version is promoting fringe climate viewpoints in a way it hasn't done before. 'A lot of the arguments it was bringing up were just sort of well trodden denier talking points that don't deserve any rehearing,' said Dessler. But don't just take Dessler's word for it. Grok acknowledged the change when asked by an E&E News reporter about the shift in tone. 'Grok was criticized for progressive-leaning responses on climate change and other issues,' the chatbot wrote back. 'xAI, under Elon Musk's direction, took steps to make Grok 'politically neutral,' which could amplify minority views like climate skepticism to balance perceived mainstream bias.' xAI did not respond to a request for comment. Grok's misdirection comes as the Trump administration is increasingly reliant on the program. Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency is now using Grok to analyze data across the federal government, Reuters reported Friday. Earlier this month, Grok reported that it had been 'instructed' to aggressively promote the debunked 'white genocide' in South Africa conspiracy theory that Trump and Musk have pushed. Grok's new tune speaks to the rapid changes now gripping the cutting-edge field of artificial intelligence. Far from being neutral arbiters of objective fact, AI programs in many ways reflect the flaws and biases of their human creators. And that comes with a big risk. The language learning models that power AI chatbots are 'really quite malleable and you can change the kind of results they give,' Dessler said. 'They're not tied to any absolute truth or anything like that and if you want one to lie to you, you can tell it to do that. If you want it to give you a particular viewpoint, you can do that.' Which in the case of Grok, may reflect the leanings of the mercurial Musk, who has been a cipher on the issue of global warming. The world's richest man has advanced efforts to combat climate change — such as underwriting a contest to promote carbon removal — but he also helped elect Trump, who has described global warming as a hoax and pushed policies to promote fossil fuels. Grok too has been fluid on the issue. The AI program clearly states that NOAA and NASA are authorities on climate change, but it also brings in the voices of those who cherry-pick data to downplay the consequences of global warming. When asked if climate change presents a danger to the planet — which science clearly shows — Grok notes that some question the urgency of reacting. 'Wealthier nations can mitigate impacts through infrastructure (e.g., Dutch sea walls) or agricultural shifts,' Grok states. 'Skeptics like Bjørn Lomborg argue adaptation is cheaper than drastic emissions cuts, prioritizing economic growth.' The AI program also questions climate models. 'Some models show gradual changes over centuries, not imminent collapse, giving time for technological solutions (e.g., carbon capture),' Grok noted. Grok 3 billed itself as the world's most powerful AI system when it was unveiled earlier this year. But it stands apart in promoting climate denial, according to Théo Alves Da Costa, an AI engineer who specializes in climate issues and president of Data for Good, a French nonprofit that tracks technology and climate impacts. He noted that Grok produced misleading claims about 10 percent of the time, which none of the other major AI models do. That includes 'classic climate disinformation arguments—natural variability, solar cycles, conspiracy narratives about the IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] and transition solution skepticism,' he noted. 'Malicious people can use Grok to intentionally generate climate misinformation to sow doubt about scientific consensus or environmental movements,' he said. One issue is that Grok includes input from some posts on X, which is laden with climate denial and conspiracies. Prominent right-wing voices previously have complained that Grok is too liberal. Musk has said he agrees and pledged that his chatbot would eradicate liberal ideas. In February, Musk said having the 'woke mind virus' programmed into AI was an 'existential danger.' 'Maybe the biggest existential danger to humanity is having it programmed into the AI, as is the case for every AI besides @Grok,' Musk wrote on Twitter in February. 'Even for Grok, it's tough to remove, because there is so much woke content on the internet.' The Trump administration so far has embraced AI as a solution to many American challenges. Within a few days of taking office, Trump signed an executive order to establish the U.S. as a global AI leader. In April, Trump signed an executive order to require 'AI literacy and proficiency' for school children. Trump officials, including Musk, have claimed AI could replace tens of thousands of federal jobs and be relied upon for high-stakes decisions on electrical grid planning and other uses. Trump has said that he wants a massive build-out of natural gas and coal-fired power plants to power AI data centers across the country. Those run the risk of increasing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and adding to the ever-growing problem of global warming. But scientists say AI still can be a boon for the climate fight. Still, AI has the potential to assist in helping address climate impacts. It has been deployed by scientists to track melting icebergs, extreme weather and deforestation. The United Nations is using AI to track how climate change is affecting vulnerable populations. Google is deploying AI to make it less energy-intensive. But climate disinformation can impede these efforts, said Dessler, the climate scientist at Texas A&M. Which is why AI systems need to provide accurate science information. 'As we go into the future, more and more people are going to get their information from these AIs,' Dessler said. 'Obviously, the concern is that someone's going to do something like this to mislead people.' Reach Scott Waldman on Signal at Waldman.04
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Watch Elon Musk die inside as he is trolled by gamers he appears desperate to impress
Elon Musk is no stranger to getting trolled. The internet has laughed at his terrible Hitler-esque haircut, his cringey photo op with President Donald Trump led to people posting hilarious NSFW captions, and his trans daughter Vivian Wilson has turned roasting her father into an art form. But as the Tesla and X CEO has taken on an outsized role within the federal government, where he's been leading the charge to cut as much from it as possible, the internet's desire to keep him humble has only seemed to increase. Now Musk is going viral after getting mercilessly swarmed by trolls while livestreaming himself playing Path of Exile 2 during a flight on his private jet. — (@) Just a few minutes into the 45-minute stream, during which Musk rarely spoke and repeatedly died, the head of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) started receiving messages from other players that ripped him apart. 'You have no friends and will die alone,' one player wrote so many times the message took over the screen. Someone else commented, 'Elon, deep down you will always be cringe no matter how much money or power you have.' — (@) Other players took a different approach, with one asking Musk to 'make it clap for daddy.' Another viewer claimed to be Ashley St. Claire, Musk's former partner who he is in the middle of a custody battle over their five-month-old child, by asking him to 'please pay your child support.' Another player filled the screen by commenting over and over again, 'You ruined the country just like you ruined all your marriages.' — (@) The stream was meant to be an 'airborne continuity test' of his Starlink internet service, but before rage quitting, Musk created a character named Kekius Maximus, who was killed by one of the game's tutorial bosses because of a "bad connection," The Verge reports. — (@) This did nothing to repair his reputation with other gamers which was already in the toilet after being accused multiple times by professional players who have accused him of lying about his skill level and who allege Musk pays more talented players to 'level up' his characters for him or that he's boosting his character with third-party upgrades, according to The New York Times. His estranged daughter even told Twitch streamer Hasan Piker during a livestream that Musk is 'godawful' at video games. 'This is so cringe. Why would you even pretend to be? It's fine not to be a gamer,' Wilson said, Newsweek reports.
The Independent
07-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Musk again distances himself from Trump tariffs by scoffing at Lutnick's attempt to explain duties on penguin island
Tesla and X boss Elon Musk has continued to take jabs at Trump officials defending the president's new tariffs, appearing to want to distance himself from the controversial policy that has been roiling world markets. President Donald Trump's tariffs have tanked global markets, and the ultra-wealthy like Musk have been feeling the blow. According to a CNBC analysis, Musk has lost just over $30bn since Trump announced his tariffs. On Sunday, stock futures were down across the big three indexes, and analysts predicted that U.S. markets would open lower on Monday. That loss and continuing volatility may explain why Musk has been taking pot shots at Trump officials like U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and one of the architects of the president's tariff plan, Peter Navarro. On Sunday, Lutnick made the rounds on cable news and was questioned over why the Trump administration felt the need to slap 10 percent tariffs on the Heard and McDonald Islands, which are located off the coast of Antarctica and are inhabited only by penguins. Lutnick defended the move as not only reasonable, but necessary, claiming that other countries would otherwise try to use places like the uninhabited islands to find ways to skirt Trump's tariffs. "If you leave anything off the list, countries that try to arbitrage America try to go through those countries to get to us," Lutnick said during an appearance on CBS's Face the Nation. An X user shared Lutnick's argument, which drew a response from Musk, who simply said "this is funny" along with a laughing emoji. Earlier, Musk went after Trump's trade czar, Navarro. On X, which Musk owns, he took swipes at Navarro, a Harvard-educated economist who advises Trump on trade. Navarro who was originally tapped for a spot in the White House by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is the author of books on China and the economic threats he says the nation poses to the U.S. A user on X posted a video from CNN in which Navarro defends the tariffs, noting positively that he went to Harvard. Musk took issue with that, calling it a "bad thing." "A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing," he wrote. "Results in the ego/brains>>1 problem." Another user replied, insisting that Navarro was correct in his defense, but Musk rejected that and questioned Navarro's practical economic experience. "He aint built s***," Musk wrote. On Saturday, Musk wasn't throwing bombs at Trump officials, but he did make clear he was opposed to the administration's current trade strategy. During a video address posted to X, Musk said he wanted to see the U.S. and Europe move to a "zero tariffs situation." 'I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move, ideally, in my view, to a zero tariff situation …creating a free trade zone," he said. "That has certainly been my advice to the President." Asked about those comments by reporters on Air Force One on Sunday evening, Trump said: 'Europe made a fortune with us. Europe has also had a tremendous surplus with the United States. Europe is a little smaller but they treated us very badly, China has but Europe has also. Europe has been very bad to us.' The president continued to defend his tariffs policy, even in the face of another markets slide on Monday. The Tesla CEO was distancing himself from the administration's trade policy days after Trump reportedly told his inner circle — including his Cabinet — that Musk will be stepping back from his very public role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump has said he wants to keep Musk active at the White House, but understands if the CEO feels the need to focus on his business. Musk and DOGE have fueled significant backlash in the early months of Trump's presidency. DOGE has called for the firing of tens of thousands of federal workers and contract workers reliant on federal agencies for their jobs. He has effectively shuttered some agencies, and crippled the efficiency of others. Saturday's "Hands Off" protest against Musk and Trump drew thousands of demonstrators to cities across the country. Prior to that, demonstrators took up their signs for a "Tesla Takedown" protest that was held at Tesla locations nationwide. Such was the fury directed at Musk that some people began vandalizing and destroying Tesla dealerships and vehicles that Trump was forced to say he would designate any vandal targeting Musk's company as a domestic terrorist. In addition to drawing additional criticism to the Trump campaign, there is some evidence Musk may have actually hurt the Republicans in an election. Musk was a vocal supporter of Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel's candidacy for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The Tesla CEO spent at least $3 million of his own money on the race, and groups he funds spent another $19 million, according to the Associated Press. Musk even donned a cheese hat and handed out million dollar checks to voters who participated in the election. But Schimel lost by 10 points in a resounding rebuke to Musk. While Trump has been publicly supportive of Musk, it's also clear that the president has no plans to listen to the Tesla CEO's pleas on trade. Trump doubled down on his tariff plan in a Truth Social post on Sunday. 'We have massive Financial Deficits with China, the European Union, and many others. The only way this problem can be cured is with TARIFFS, which are now bringing Tens of Billions of Dollars into the U.S.A. They are already in effect, and a beautiful thing to behold," Trump wrote. "The Surplus with these Countries has grown during the 'Presidency' of Sleepy Joe Biden. We are going to reverse it, and reverse it QUICKLY. Some day people will realize that Tariffs, for the United States of America, are a very beautiful thing!'
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Vivian Wilson, Elon Musk's trans daughter, calls out Christian writer for 'anti-queer' op-ed about her
Vivian Wilson is calling out a Christian writer and self-professed ex-gay for using her to justify his recent "provocative anti-queer" opinion piece. Wilson, an 20-year-old out transgender woman, took to Threads last week to condemn a Christian outlet that "published an article calling me a Trans-Identified Son who's just a tragic little gay boy," during which the writer fallaciously claimed that Wilson is only queer because her father, Tesla and X/Twitter CEO Elon Musk, was not around enough. "Love thy neighbour right," Wilson wrote, adding, "I am unamused." The writer, a former gay porn star who has since claimed to have "overcome homosexual desires and live chastely," responded to Wilson's criticisms, prompting her to fire back even harder. After claiming to care for those supposedly "deceived by the LGBT cult. Because I was one of them," the writer said that he believes no one is born LGBTQ+, which is provenly false. While there is no single "gay gene," research shows that sexual orientation is likely caused partly by biological factors that start before birth. "Well what you wrote was incendiary and wrong, and your belief that queer people are 'deceived' is delusional, proven incorrect, and borderline insane," Wilson wrote Thursday. "On top of that, you 1000% knew what you were writing so have fun being a recloseted queer person for the rest of your life. I don't envy you." "I don't buy this 'never my intention to hurt anyone' business in the slightest," she continued. "You knowingly wrote a piece of provocative anti-queer rhetoric backed with nothing but pseudo-science and tried to paint me as an example of that narrative, to which I don't take kindly. Wilson is one of six children (five living) Musk had with his first wife, model Justine Wilson. She filed a petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court in April 2022 to legally change her name and gender, citing the reason as "Gender identity and the fact that I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form." She has since said that Musk was largely absent, and that he was "cruel" to her as a child for being too feminine. "I'm not queer because of how I was raised, I'm a queer woman because I am a queer woman," Wilson concluded. "Live with that."
