Govt in talks with Elon Musk's X over Grok AI's use of expletives

MeitY is in talks with X as it investigates Grok AI's use of Hindi slang and offensive language, following controversy over the chatbot's unfiltered responses

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is in touch with Elon Musk’s social media platform X regarding recent instances where its AI chatbot, Grok, responded using Hindi slangs and expletives.

 

The IT ministry is looking into the issue and plans to investigate the factors that led to the chatbot’s use of inappropriate language. "We are in touch, we are talking to them (X) to find out why it is happening and what are the issues. They are engaging with us," news agency PTI quoted ministry sources as saying.  

 

Recently, Grok stunned users by generating responses filled with slang and expletives when provoked. On topics like politics, cinema, and celebrities, some responses appeared unexpectedly opinionated.

 

 

Additionally, the chatbot has used regional slang and abusive terms in certain interactions. In one instance, Grok even described Elon Musk as a "major disinformation spreader."

 

In one of the exchanges on X, a user asked Grok to list his "10 best mutuals." When there was no immediate response, the user followed up with a comment including a Hindi expletive aimed at the AI. In its response, Grok directed the same expletive at the user.

 

What triggers Grok's unconventional responses?

 

Grok, developed by xAI, is an advanced conversational AI assistant powered by a sophisticated Large Language Model (LLM) architecture. Announcing its launch in November 2023, xAI stated the AI chatbot was designed to understand and generate human-like language, with a focus on reasoning and problem-solving.

 

"Grok is designed to answer questions with a bit of wit and has a rebellious streak, so please don’t use it if you hate humor,” xAI said in a blog post announcing Grok.

 

Grok 3 was launched on February 17 this year, boasting a tenfold increase in computing power compared to its predecessor, Grok 2. It features a unique 'Think' mode that allows it to reason for extended periods before providing answers.

 

Grok 3 introduces innovative capabilities such as DeepSearch, which synthesises data from various sources quickly, and multimodal functionalities for text and image interactions.

 

(With PTI inputs)