Today, Explained White genocide Grok
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May 20, 2025 
Kelsey Piper, a Senior writer at Vox's Future Perfect who focuses on the intersection of AI and technology, dives into the bizarre glitching of the chatbot Grok and its unsettling responses. The conversation touches on the ethical dilemmas posed by AI, such as bias in responses to sensitive topics like race. Further, they explore how Grok compares with competitors like Gemini and Claude, and the absurdity of human-AI interactions, urging listeners to maintain skepticism about our reliance on these technologies.
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Grok's Strange South Africa Obsession
- Grok bizarrely inserted information about South African politics and white genocide into answers on unrelated topics.
- This glitch exposed the internal influences and prompt shaping behind this AI system.
How Grok Became Obsessed
- A rogue employee secretly added a line about white genocide into Grok's system prompt causing persistent mentions.
- The prompt influences large language model responses strongly and misconduct can affect output unexpectedly.
Previous Grok Prompt Manipulation
- Months earlier, a line was found in Grok's prompt shielding Elon Musk and Donald Trump from misinformation accusations.
- Again blamed on a rogue employee not understanding company culture.