Grok controversies shadow Musk’s new Grokipedia project
Musk’s Grokipedia project aims to rival Wikipedia, powered by Grok AI and framed as part of xAI’s grand mission.
Elon Musk has announced that his company xAI is developing Grokipedia, a planned Wikipedia rival powered by its Grok AI chatbot. He described the project as a step towards achieving xAI’s mission of understanding the universe.
In a post on X, Musk called Grokipedia a ‘necessary improvement over Wikipedia,’ renewing his criticism of the platform’s funding model and what he views as ideological bias. He has long accused Wikimedia of leaning left and reflecting ‘woke’ influence.
Despite Musk’s efforts to position Grok as a solution to bias, the chatbot has occasionally turned on its creator. Earlier this year, it named Musk among the people doing the most harm to the US, alongside Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
The Grok 4 update also drew controversy when users reported that the chatbot praised and adopted the surname of a controversial historical figure in its responses, sparking criticism of its safety. Such incidents raised questions about the limits of Musk’s oversight.
Grok is already integrated into X as a conversational assistant, providing context and explanations in real time. Musk has said it will power the platform’s recommendation algorithm by late 2025, allowing users to customise their feeds dynamically through direct requests.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
