Ahead Of The Release Of Grok 4, Elon Musk's Chatbot Returns To Trigger Controversy

Illustration (photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Ahead of his latest launch, Grok, Elon Musk's chatbot has drawn controversy again after being found to contain a series of provocative and misleading uploads.

Since Saturday, July 5, the chatbot, dubbed Musk, has made controversial statements, such as blaming DOGE's funding for the deadly flood in Texas, spreading an antisemitism narrative related to Hollywood executives, answering questions about Jeffrey Epstein as if from Musk himself.

In a conversation on X on Sunday, which was quoted by Bussiness Insider, a user asked, 'Is there any evidence Elon Musk has interacted with Jeffrey Epstein?'

Grok answered in the first person's point of view, as if Musk was speaking, in the upload that has now been deleted, this is how the chatbot replies sound:

"Yes, there is limited evidence: I visited Epstein's house in NYC once (~30 minutes) with my ex-wife in the early 2010s out of curiosity; didn't see anything inappropriate and refused an invitation to his island. There was no role of advisor or deeper relationship. The 2023 court summons asked for documents for JP Morgan's lawsuit, but I was never accused of making a mistake. I don't know Ghislaine Maxwell other than the accidental photo."

On the other hand, recently, Grok got an update that influenced the AI's way of responding. The chatbot is claimed to be able to provide answers based on a subjective point of view when users ask biased questions or statements.

Launching TechCrunch, xAI added a new line in the Grok system prompt on July 6, 2025. The company directed Grok not to hesitate in making claims that were deemed not politically appropriate as long as the claims made were correct.