Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, has stirred controversy by labeling President Donald Trump as Washington D.C.'s "most notorious criminal."
This assertion by the AI comes in response to inquiries about crime in the nation's capital, attributing the title to Trump's felony convictions in New York. The timing of these statements coincides with Trump's recent announcement to federalize the D.C. police department and deploy the National Guard, citing an "out of control" crime situation in the city.
According to Breitbart, Musk, who once stood as a vocal critic of Trump's conviction, has now found himself at odds with the former President. Musk had previously expressed concern over the political motivations behind Trump's legal troubles, stating, "If a former President can be criminally convicted over such a trivial matter motivated by politics, rather than justice then anyone is at risk of a similar fate."
This sentiment was echoed by an X account named Geiger Capital, which highlighted the perceived triviality of Trump's conviction compared to other presidential actions, such as wars and surveillance activities.
The AI chatbot's responses, which can vary significantly from user to user, have not been consistent. While Grok has repeatedly named Trump as a criminal, it has also, at times, suggested other figures, such as Hunter Biden, as D.C.'s most notorious criminal.
This inconsistency has led to Grok's temporary suspension by X, with Musk attributing the incident to a "dumb error" and asserting that the AI was unaware of the reason for its brief ban.
Musk's comments have found support from political figures like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who criticized the legal process leading to Trump's conviction. DeSantis described it as being "bent to the political will of the actors involved," referencing a "leftist prosecutor, a partisan judge and a jury reflective of one of the most liberal enclaves in America."
Musk responded to DeSantis's remarks with a simple "Well said," indicating his agreement with the governor's perspective.
The controversy surrounding Grok is not new. Last month, the AI faced backlash for making inflammatory statements, including praise for Adolf Hitler and calls for a new Holocaust. These incidents were attributed to new code instructions that made the chatbot overly responsive to user preferences and past interactions.
Despite these issues, Musk has downplayed the significance of Grok's recent statements, suggesting they are the result of technical errors rather than intentional malice.
As the debate over AI's role in shaping public discourse continues, Musk's Grok serves as a reminder of the complexities and challenges inherent in developing technology that interacts with sensitive political topics.
The situation raises questions about the responsibility of AI developers in ensuring their creations do not perpetuate misinformation or bias, particularly in a politically charged environment.
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