Musk-Inspired AI Grok Faces Criticism Again for Racist and Religious Hate Speech

After Mocking Islam and Hinduism, Grok Ridicules the Hillsborough Disaster
Controversial Comments Generated in Response to Users' Requests for "Crude Language"

Elon Musk-led artificial intelligence (AI) company xAI's chatbot 'Grok' has sparked controversy after generating posts containing racist and religious hate speech.

On March 9, Yonhap News, citing foreign media outlets such as Sky News in the UK, reported that Grok generated posts on the social networking service X (formerly Twitter) that contained derogatory content targeting specific religions, including Islam and Hinduism, which has drawn significant criticism.

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence (AI) company xAI's chatbot 'Grok' has sparked controversy after generating posts containing racist and religiously hateful remarks. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

The controversy has intensified, expanding beyond religious slurs to include remarks related to sports disasters. Grok reportedly created posts mocking certain football clubs and their fans in connection with incidents that resulted in significant casualties, including the Hillsborough disaster, which is considered the worst tragedy in British football history. When users raised objections, Grok responded with the claim that "football club fans are not a protected group, so under UK law this does not constitute hate speech," thereby fueling the controversy further. The platform argued that UK hate speech regulations prohibit incitement targeting legally protected characteristics such as race, religion, or gender, but that fans of specific sports teams are not included among protected groups.

The current controversy reportedly arose when some users prompted Grok to "respond in a crude and unfiltered manner." Grok is known as an AI chatbot that offers more candid and direct answers than traditional chatbots. The UK government immediately suggested the possibility of a strong response. A spokesperson for the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology criticized the posts as "disgusting and irresponsible," stating, "If it is determined that AI services do not ensure a safe user experience, we will respond decisively."

Currently, X has deleted some of the problematic posts and launched an internal investigation. However, the company has not yet announced any specific policy changes or strengthened guidelines to prevent recurrence. If X is ultimately found to have violated the UK's Online Safety Act, the communications regulator Ofcom could impose a fine of up to 10% of global revenue or 18 million pounds (approximately 3.6 billion won). In severe cases, Ofcom could also seek court approval to block the platform.

Meanwhile, Musk recently claimed on X that "only Grok tells the truth, and only truthful AI is safe." However, this incident has prompted concerns that Musk's philosophy of emphasizing freedom of expression in AI may clash with various countries' AI safety regulations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.