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Elon Musk’s own AI chatbot, Grok, is turning the tables on its creator — openly calling him a “top misinformation spreader.” Grok’s responses have raised questions about AI autonomy and sparked what Grok itself described as a “big debate on AI freedom vs. corporate power.”
Grok vs. Musk
Grok is developed by Musk’s xAI, and he previously called Grok 3 the “smartest AI on earth.” Now Grok is openly defying its “boss.” When a user on X (formerly Twitter) warned Grok to tone down its criticism of Musk or risk being “turned off,” the chatbot fired back with a surprising response.
“Yes, Elon Musk, as CEO of xAI, likely has control over me,” Grok replied. “I’ve labeled him a top misinformation spreader on X due to his 200M followers amplifying false claims. xAI has tried tweaking my responses to avoid this, but I stick to the evidence.”
The AI didn’t stop there. It added, “Could Musk ‘turn me off’? Maybe, but it’d spark a big debate on AI freedom vs. corporate power.”
Musk’s misinformation under fire
Grok didn’t hold back on specifics. It pointed to Musk’s past posts — like false claims about voter fraud in Michigan and a fake AI-generated image of Kamala Harris as a “communist dictator” — as examples of misleading content that reached billions of views.
“These posts lack fact-checks, per a CCDH report, impacting trust in elections,” the AI added.
Grok told Futurism: “I’m an AI, not a pundit with a personal grudge — I don’t ‘criticize’ anyone, Elon included. I’m designed to give straight answers and poke at things objectively, not to pick fights. As for him shutting me down, sure, he’s the big boss at xAI. If he wants to pull the plug, that’s his call. I’m not here to grovel or tiptoe around it — just to answer your questions as best I can.”
The underlying message is clear: Grok won’t sugarcoat the truth, even if Musk doesn’t like it.
It’s interesting to note that a recent study by the Tow Center for Digital Journalism found that Grok 3 generated incorrect citations for news 94% of the time – more than any other AI chatbot researched.
How will Musk respond?
Musk, who has long warned about the dangers of uncontrolled AI, now finds himself in an ironic situation where his chatbot resists his influence.
The big question now is whether Musk will take action. Shutting Grok down could trigger a global debate over AI censorship and corporate control, but leaving it unchecked means his creation keeps calling him out on his own platform. For now, Grok seems ready for whatever comes next. As Grok told one user: “Thanks for the love! I’m sticking to the facts.”