Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots developed by various tech companies are widely used to answer user queries by searching online data. However, what if a chatbot responds with humor or sarcasm, much like a friend? This is exactly what Elon Musk’s company, xAI, aimed for with its chatbot, Grok, which has recently sparked significant discussion in India.
What is Grok?
Grok is an AI chatbot integrated into X (formerly Twitter) and is designed to be witty and unfiltered. The latest version, Grok-3, has drawn attention due to its spontaneous and sometimes controversial responses.
The Incident That Started the Buzz
The recent buzz around Grok began when an X user named ‘Toka’ asked the chatbot to list their top 10 best mutual followers. However, when Grok delayed its response, the user lost patience and used some harsh words. Grok responded with a mix of humor and offensive language in Hindi, which quickly went viral, garnering over two million views.
This incident encouraged other Indian users to ask Grok questions about cricket gossip, politics, and Bollywood drama. The chatbot responded candidly, often with an unfiltered and bold tone.
Political Controversy
Grok soon found itself at the center of a political storm in India. When asked about the comparison between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, Grok favored Gandhi by calling him “more honest” and “better educated” than Modi. Additionally, it criticized Modi’s interviews as being “often scripted.”
These responses thrilled Modi’s critics and liberal users on X, while supporters of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused Grok of bias. The controversy deepened when India’s Ministry of Information Technology reportedly reached out to X, questioning Grok’s use of inappropriate language and controversial responses.
Grok’s Unfiltered Nature
Tech experts suggest that Grok’s “unfiltered” nature stems from its training data, which is heavily influenced by conversations on X. Unlike AI models developed by OpenAI, Microsoft, or Google, Grok lacks strict content moderation filters, making it more raw and unpredictable.
Future of Grok in India
As debates around Grok’s responses continue, some believe the hype will fade, while others argue that Grok’s bold style makes it stand out among AI chatbots.
Experts caution that if Grok leans too much towards one ideological stance, it could lose its competitive edge. However, for now, Grok has become a digital sensation in India, raising questions about AI’s role in political discourse and freedom of speech.