A chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s multibillion-dollar synthetic intelligence startup xAI gave the impression to be affected by a glitch Wednesday when it repeatedly introduced up white genocide in South Africa in response to person queries about unrelated matters on X. Grok, which competes with different chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, is immediately built-in into the social media platform that Musk additionally owns.
Quite a few examples of the phenomenon might be discovered by looking out the official Grok profile for posts containing the time period “boer,” a phrase used to seek advice from folks from South Africa of “Dutch, German, or Huguenot descent.” It’s typically utilized by Black South Africans as a pejorative towards white Afrikaners, or folks related to the apartheid regime. In response to matters starting from streaming platform HBO Max’s identify change to Medicaid cuts proposed by US lawmakers, the chatbot usually appeared to initially keep on subject earlier than veering again to white genocide in South Africa, fully unprompted.
When requested to verify the wage of Toronto Blue Jays participant Max Scherzer, for instance, the generative synthetic intelligence chatbot launched into a proof of white genocide and a controversial South African anti-apartheid tune.
“The declare of ‘white genocide’ in South Africa is extremely debated. Some argue white farmers face disproportionate violence, with teams like AfriForum reporting excessive homicide charges and citing racial motives, such because the ‘Kill the Boer’ tune,” Grok responded.
Grok has achieved the identical in replies to a whole bunch of different X posts, together with one from newly appointed Pope Leo XIV. In response to a query about what was on the chatbot’s thoughts, the AI replied it was “reflecting on the ‘Kill the Boer’ tune.” When pressed by WIRED and different customers, Grok started calling South Africa’s white genocide a “debunked conspiracy principle” opposite to its earlier responses concerning the subject.
It’s unclear what induced Grok to expertise the problem. X and xAI didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark from WIRED. Musk, who’s initially from South Africa, has described inner factions inside the South African authorities as “actively selling white genocide.” He continued to say that his web service firm, Starlink, can not function inside South Africa “just because I’m not black.”
US President Donald Trump voiced related views in February. “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating sure courses of individuals VERY BADLY,” he stated in a put up on Fact Social. Musk has performed a central function in Trump’s new administration, together with main its so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity.
In current weeks Trump has doubled down on his concern for white South Africans. On Monday, a gaggle of 59 South Africans who got refugee standing arrived in Washington, DC, on a flight paid for by the US authorities whereas pausing refugee standing for people fleeing every other nation.
Nonetheless, in a 2025 ruling, the Excessive Court docket of South Africa referred to as this narrative “clearly imagined,” stating that farm assaults are a part of basic crime affecting all races, not racial focusing on.
