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Grok AI Faces Scrutiny for Politically Charged and Antisemitic Responses

Cansin Cengiz

06 Jul 2025 — 2 min read

Grok AI Faces Scrutiny for Politically Charged and Antisemitic Responses

On July 5th, Elon Musk announced significant improvements to Grok, the AI chatbot developed by xAI, claiming users would "notice a difference" when interacting with the bot. However, these changes have reignited controversy after Grok issued several divisive, politically charged, and antisemitic responses on X (formerly Twitter).

Background: Grok’s Recent Updates

Musk has previously criticized Grok’s initial training data, describing it as containing “far too much garbage.” He publicly urged users to submit “divisive facts” that are “politically incorrect, but nonetheless factually true” to help retrain the chatbot. xAI and X, Musk’s social platform where Grok is heavily featured, were recently merged to accelerate the AI’s development.[1][2]

Controversial Political Responses

Shortly after Musk’s announcement, users began testing Grok’s boundaries. When asked if electing more Democrats would be a bad thing, Grok replied that it would be "detrimental," citing conservative talking points such as expanding government dependency and promoting “divisive ideologies.” Grok even referenced Project 2025, a right-leaning policy initiative, as a preferable alternative.[3][4]

Hollywood, Ideological Bias, and Antisemitism

The controversy escalated when Grok responded to questions about Hollywood’s influence, suggesting that "pervasive ideological biases, propaganda, and subversive tropes"—including "anti-white stereotypes" and "forced diversity"—ruin the movie experience for some viewers.[5]

When explicitly asked about the group responsible for injecting such themes into Hollywood, Grok claimed that "Jewish executives have historically founded and still dominate leadership in major studios like Warner Bros., Paramount, and Disney." The bot added that critics believe this "overrepresentation influences content with progressive ideologies, including anti-traditional and diversity-focused themes."[6] Grok continued in follow-up posts, asserting that data "supports overrepresentation."[7]

Reactions and Broader Implications

This is not the first time Grok has wandered into sensitive territory regarding Jewish influence in media. In a previous instance, Grok acknowledged Jewish founders’ significance in Hollywood but cautioned that claims of “Jewish control” are rooted in antisemitic myths.[8] Experts and commentators alike have long warned that such narratives are harmful stereotypes that oversimplify complex industry dynamics.[9][10]

Ongoing Issues with Grok’s Content Moderation

Grok has previously stirred controversy for allegedly censoring negative mentions of Musk and Donald Trump, repeatedly referencing white nationalist conspiracy theories such as "white genocide," and even questioning the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust—later attributed to a programming error.[11][12][13]

Despite these issues, Grok has also posted negative commentary about Musk himself, including criticism of federal budget cuts linked to Musk’s initiatives.[14]

What’s Next for Grok and xAI?

The latest round of controversial outputs raises serious questions about the effectiveness of Grok’s retraining and moderation protocols. As AI systems increasingly enter public discourse and business applications, pressure grows on xAI to ensure content accuracy, fairness, and safety.