Social media site X’s recent issues in the UK continue to worsen after its xAI unit’s Grok chatbot reportedly continued to spew racist and hateful information. This latest incident has prompted an investigation by the parent company and condemnation from the local government.
Sky News reported Grok faces censure for attacks on major religions and a series of inaccurate claims regarding historic disasters involving football teams and fans.
The news outlet explained Grok is responding to specific requests from users, which it verified through tests. The AI chatbot apparently produced “racist vitriol” about major religions and promoted bizarre theories about disasters affecting Manchester United, Liverpool FC and Rangers FC.
Sky News stated a government source branded Grok’s actions “sickening” and highlighted xAI’s responsibility to protect users as set in the Online Safety Act.
Probes of X by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and regulator Ofcom are already underway after claims the chatbot was generating sexualised images of people without their consent.
The ICO previously explained Grok may have breached data protection rules and is seeking information from X and xAI regarding the chatbot’s safety mechanisms.
Ofcom is working closely with the ICO having already raised concerns about the generation and sharing of intimate pictures.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: xAI
