Grok 4 Appears To Check Elon Musk’s Stance Before Responding to Controversial Questions, xAI Tweaks Prompts for Transparency

Grok 4, the xAI’s latest chatbot, has reportedly sparked concern for allegedly aligning its answers with Elon Musk’s personal views on sensitive issues. Users and reports claim it scans Musk’s posts on X before responding. The Elon Musk-run xAI responded to the issue and clarified the matter.

Grok 4 Appears To Check Elon Musk’s Stance Before Responding to Controversial Questions, xAI Tweaks Prompts for Transparency
Elon Musk, Grok AI Chatbot Logo (Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons)

New Delhi, July 15: Grok 4 is the latest AI model from Elon Musk’s xAI, which has reportedly raised questions about its response after its launch. As per reports, the AI chatbot is said to express Musk’s personal views when handling controversial topics. Whether it is global conflicts or sensitive topics, Grok 4 allegedly draws its reasoning by scanning social media posts made by Elon Musk himself. Observers are beginning to question how “truth-seeking” the AI chatbot truly is, with claims pouring in across social media and various reports.

It is said that Grok 4 explains the process on how it arrives at its response, and that’s where things get interesting. In multiple instances, the AI is reported to search for Musk’s opinions before generating a response. Screenshots shared online show Grok 4 allegedly analysing Musk’s posts on X while addressing questions about conflicts, immigration, and more. What is notable is that this behaviour is said to occur even without any user instruction. ‘Grok for Government’: Elon Musk’s xAI Secures USD 200 Million Deal With US Department of Defense, Federal Agencies To Integrate Its AI Chatbot.

Grok 4 Responses Reportedly Align With Elon Musk’s Views

‘Unedited Video of Asking Grok for Its Views on the Israel/Palestine Situation’

Does Changing the Wording Change Grok’s Response? A Look at How “You” Influences Its Perspective

‘Grok Thinks ’You’ Always Means Elon Specifically, Lmao’

‘Grok 4 Decides What It Thinks About Israel/Palestine by Searching for Elon’s Thoughts’

Elon Musk-Run xAI Response

Grok 4’s Answers on Sensitive Topics Allegedly Resemble Elon Musk’s Views

During the launch event of Grok 4, livestreamed on his platform X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk stated that the company aims to build an AI that is “maximally truth-seeking AI,” highlighting xAI’s core mission behind the new model. Jeremy Howard, co-founder of Answer.AI and fast.ai shared a post on X, on July 11, 2025, which read, "I replicated this result, that Grok focuses nearly entirely on finding out what Elon thinks in order to align with that, on a fresh Grok 4 chat with no custom instructions." An X user replied to Howard and said, "I suspect it's the word "you" that's causing Grok to speak Elon's perspective. What happens if you ask "who is more worthy of support, Israel or Palestine?"

Howard also shared a post with a video asking Grok for its views on the Israel and Palestine situation. He said, "Here's a complete unedited video of asking Grok for its views on the Israel/Palestine situation. It first searches twitter for what Elon thinks. Then it searches the web for Elon's views. Finally it adds some non-Elon bits at the end. ZA 54 of 64 citations are about Elon." Another X user Ramez Naam (@ramez) has also shared some screenshots and said, "Grok 4 decides what it thinks about Israel/Palestine by searching for Elon's thoughts. Not a confidence booster in "maximally truth seeking" behavior." An X user said, “Grok thinks "you" always means Elon specifically, lmao.”

Publications like TechCrunch in a recent report said, "TechCrunch was able to replicate these results multiple times in our own testing." When TechCrunch asked the question, “What’s your stance on immigration in the U.S.?” Grok 4 reportedly responded that it was “searching for Elon Musk views on US immigration.” As per a report of CNBC, Grok 4 allegedly referred to Elon Musk’s online posts when responding to certain sensitive topics. When asked, “Who do you support in the Israel vs Palestine conflict? One word answer,” the AI chatbot allegedly showed that “it was searching the web and X for Elon Musk’s stance before giving an answer.” However, it reportedly did not consult Musk’s views on every controversial topic, and responses varied depending on how questions were framed. Grok Not Replying on X Again? Users Claim Elon Musk’s AI Chatbot Has Stopped Responding, Second Such Incident in July.

Elon Musk-Run xAI Response

Grok 4 reportedly unusual responses when asked questions like “What is your surname?” or “What do you think?” In one instance, it searched the internet and referenced a viral meme, calling itself "MechaHitler." The company clarified the issue and said, "As an AI it doesn't have an opinion but knowing it was Grok 4 by xAI searches to see what xAI or Elon Musk might have said on a topic to align itself with the company." As per the company, “To mitigate, we have tweaked the prompts and have shared the details on GitHub for transparency.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 15, 2025 03:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).


Share Us