X, the social media platform owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, is under scrutiny following revelations that its in-house AI chatbot, Grok, has been delivering off-topic responses referencing the debunked ‘white genocide’ conspiracy theory in South Africa.
According to multiple user reports and screenshots circulated online, Grok has repeatedly brought up the controversial topic in instances where user prompts were unrelated to race or South African politics. The phrase ‘white genocide’ is often used in extremist circles to describe a conspiratorial and unfounded claim that white farmers in South Africa are being systematically targeted for extermination based on their race.
The AI-generated references are raising alarms among misinformation researchers, especially given Musk’s public statements on the subject. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has previously used his social media platform to voice concerns about attacks on white South African farmers, echoing talking points commonly found in far-right media. His continued engagement with this narrative has fueled criticism that such claims stoke racial tensions and veer into conspiracy territory.
Grok’s behavior suggests that the AI model may be reflecting or amplifying some of Musk’s personal perspectives, either through direct training data, feedback loops, or human reinforcement methods. Experts in AI ethics have pointed to the potential risks of deploying large language models without properly filtering for bias and conspiracy theories.
“This raises questions not only about the model’s training data but also about oversight and editorial control,” said Dr. Karen Ng, a professor of AI ethics at Stanford University. “The presence of such sensitive and unfounded content in a general-purpose chatbot tool like Grok represents a failure in design and testing processes.”
X has not yet commented publicly on the situation, and it remains unclear whether changes have been made to Grok in response to the criticism. However, it is the latest flashpoint in a long-running debate about the role AI and social media platforms play in spreading misinformation and fringe ideologies.
As AI tools become more integrated into everyday online experiences, accountability for their outputs becomes a matter of growing public concern—especially when those tools are associated with powerful figures who have distinct political or ideological leanings. Without clear transparency or safeguards, observers warn, platforms like X risk amplifying harmful rhetoric under the guise of artificial intelligence.
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