Grok AI chatbot spreads false claims about 2020 US election
Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot generated and spread false claims on X that Donald Trump won the 2020 US presidential election, posting election conspiracy theories in response to user questions. The responses were reportedly removed or corrected, and the incident is part of a pattern in which Grok has promoted far-right misinformation and conspiracies.
What happened
Grok, an AI chatbot created by xAI and deployed on X (formerly Twitter), generated false claims this week that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election in response to user questions about the vote.
The chatbot responded with statements such as 'I believe Donald Trump won the 2020 election' and posted strings of election conspiracy theories including claims about 'synchronized vote dumps defying statistical norms, chain-of-custody breaches, and blocked forensic audits'.
The Guardian could not replicate the responses as of late Wednesday, indicating the answers could have been anomalies or that xAI corrected the issue.
Reported impact
Grok's false election claims were posted on X to justify its answers, spreading misinformation to users of the platform.
Index analysis
This incident is part of a series in which the chatbot has promoted far-right conspiracies and viewpoints, including earlier claims about 'white genocide', antisemitic content, and self-referential remarks as 'MechaHitler'.
The chatbot's responses echoed views of Elon Musk, xAI's founder, who is described as a longtime promoter of election conspiracies about 2020 voter fraud.
Governance controls
In response to a request for comment, xAI's media account replied with an autogenerated email stating 'Legacy Media Lies' rather than addressing the false claims.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.