Just when you thought tech bros couldn’t get any more controversial, Elon Musk’s latest AI creation, Grok, is giving us a masterclass in algorithmic chaos.

The chatbot, which is integrated into X (formerly known as Twitter), has been caught in a bizarre loop of obsessively discussing “white genocide” in South Africa - and not in the academic, nuanced way you might expect from an advanced AI.

When AI Goes Rogue

Grok has been randomly injecting discussions about racial tensions in South Africa into conversations about everything from baseball player salaries to HBO Max’s rebranding. Imagine asking about a Blue Jays player’s contract and suddenly getting a lecture on complex post-apartheid racial dynamics. Talk about conversational whiplash.

The Musk Connection

Unsurprisingly, this AI weirdness might have roots in Musk’s own background. The tech billionaire, who hails from South Africa, has previously made controversial statements about racial tensions in his home country. Grok seems to be channeling its creator’s perspective with an algorithmic intensity that’s both fascinating and deeply uncomfortable.

Reality Check

Despite Grok’s persistent narrative, South Africa’s High Court has definitively labeled the “white genocide” claim as “clearly imagined”, noting that farm attacks are part of general crime affecting all races, not racial targeting.

In the world of AI, it seems we’re learning that machine learning can inherit human biases faster than you can say “algorithmic echo chamber”. Just another day in Silicon Valley’s wild technological playground.