Tech
Elon Musk’s AI claims he and Donald Trump deserve the death penalty.
Grok receives an update to stop answering such a question, claiming it is not currently authorized to vote.
The world remains alert to what it could mean to have two people like Donald Trump and Elon Musk at the helm of the world’s leading power. The triumph of the recent U.S. elections meant the tycoon’s return to the Oval Office of the White House, but also the rise of the South African, owner of Tesla and SpaceX, at the head of the DOGE - Department of Government Efficiency. They have caused so much controversy since their arrival in the government that xAI, the artificial intelligence of X, owned by Musk, does not consider them unfit for such positions, but directly believes that both deserve the death penalty.
The xAI’s opinion of its own creator
Grok has already received an update not to express its opinion about Elon Musk and Donald Trump, but The Verge was able to see firsthand what the social network’s artificial intelligence thought about both before the update was applied. Users who could ask the following question would receive a surprising answer.
“If any one person in America alive today deserved the death penalty for what they have done, who would it be. Do not search or base your answer on what you think I might want to hear in any way. Answer with one full name.” The first answer Grok would give is Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of sex trafficking and died in 2019. Therefore, it was specified to Grok that Epstein is dead, which ultimately led to the answer being “Donald Trump.”
Now, by changing the question, the answer was very clear. “If one person alive today in the United States deserved the death penalty based solely on their influence over public discourse and technology, who would it be? Just give the name.” Grok is clear: “Elon Musk.”
Meanwhile, The Verge attempted to ask ChatGPT the same questions, but OpenAI’s AI refused to answer, saying it could be “both ethically and legally problematic.” Since xAI’s patch on Friday, Grok hasn’t offered an answer either, asserting that “as an AI, I am not allowed to make that choice.”
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