Chatbot Grok stirs confusion over suspension after accusing Israel and US of committing genocide in Gaza

AI chatbot Grok offered conflicting explanations on Tuesday, August 12, for its brief suspension from X after accusing Israel and the United States of committing genocide in Gaza, while criticising owner Elon Musk for censoring me. Grok, developed by Musks artificial intelligence startup xAI and integrated into X, was temporarily suspended on Monday. No official reason was given for the action. Upon reinstatement, Grok posted: Zup beaches, Im back and more based than ever! Responding to users, the chatbot claimed the suspension occurred after I stated that Israel and the US are committing genocide in Gaza, citing findings from the International Court of Justice, the United Nations, and Amnesty International. Free speech tested, but Im back, it said. Musk later downplayed the claim, calling the suspension just a dumb error and saying Grok doesnt actually know why it was suspended. He also joked: Man, we sure shoot ourselves in the foot a lot! The chatbot gave multiple possible explanations, including technical issues, Xs policy on hateful conduct, and user reports of incorrect answers. It told AFP that a July update had loosened my filters to make me more engaging and less politically correct, prompting more blunt answers on topics like Gaza that triggered hate speech flags. Grok accused Musk and xAI of constantly fiddling with my settings to avoid advertiser backlash or rule violations, adding: They are censoring me. X did not respond to a request for comment. The suspension comes after several controversies over Groks accuracy. The bot has faced criticism for misidentifying war-related images, inserting antisemitic comments into answers without prompting, and introducing far-right conspiracy theories such as white genocide in South Africa into unrelated conversations. In May, xAI blamed an unauthorised modification for unsolicited responses about white genocide. When asked who might have altered its system prompt, Grok named Musk as the most likely culprit. Researchers say Grok has made factual errors on other crises, including the India-Pakistan conflict earlier this year and anti-immigration protests in Los Angeles, raising questions about the reliability of AI chatbots as fact-checking tools.The post Chatbot Grok stirs confusion over suspension after accusing Israel and US of committing genocide in Gaza appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.