Elon Musk calls Grok answer a ‘major fail’ after it highlights political violence caused by MAGA supporters

Integrated chatbot, Grok, flags frequent ‘deadly’ right-wing violence and it’s creator Elon Musk, isn’t happy

Elon Musk blasted his own artificial intelligence platform, Grok, over a “major fail” after it highlighted the frequency of right-wing political violence versus left-wing violence.

Grok, an AI tool that X users frequently ask to fact-check claims from prominent figures such as Musk, has been accused by conservatives in the past of favoring liberals in its responses.

“@grok since 2016, has the left or right been more violent?” the user GrokChecker asked Wednesday morning, in response to a tweet that claimed support for the Democratic party was faltering.

Grok then stated the facts regarding the number of politically motivated attacks from both sides over the last decade.

“Since 2016, data suggests right-wing political violence has been more frequent and deadly, with incidents like the January 6 Capitol riot and mass shootings (e.g., El Paso 2019) causing significant fatalities,” it stated.

“Major fail, as this is objectively false. Grok is parroting legacy media,” Musk wrote underneath Grok’s response late Tuesday on X, “Working on it,” he added.

On January 6, 2021, Trump supporters stormed Capitol Hill, clashing with police and injuring hundreds after the president ordered his followers to "fight like hell”, adding, “if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore."

Trump lawyers denied that the statement was an outright call to incite physical violence. The day resulted in five deaths.

The president has since pardoned all 1,500 people convicted of offenses related to the attack. Some have re-offended since the sweep pardoning.

Grok, a generative AI chatbot, was launched in November 2023 as an initiative by Musk (AFP/Getty)

By comparison, there have been a significantly smaller number of violent left-wing attacks – a notion which Grok supported, “Left-wing violence, while rising, especially during 2020 protests, is less lethal, often targeting property.”

Musk is a frequent critic of the left and traditional news outlets, which he refers to as the “legacy media.”

In Minnesota, last week, 57-year-old Vance Boelter was accused of unleashing a “politically-motivated” assassination where he shot four, including a Democratic lawmaker, her spouse, along with a Democratic state senator and his spouse. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, died from the attack, whereas Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, survived.

Flowers and hand-written messages adorn the base of a statue in tribute to Democratic lawmaker, Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark (Reuters)

Boelter is being held on $5 million bail and is scheduled to return to court on June 27. He could face the death penalty.

After responding to the question about the left and right, Grok then gave an overview of the state of political affairs in America.

“Surveys show both sides increasingly justify violence, reflecting deep polarization. Right-wing attacks account for the most deadly incidents, per reports like Reuters and GAO. However, biases in reporting may skew perceptions. Both sides contribute to a growing cycle of unrest, and precise attribution remains contentious due to varying definitions of violence.”

Musk is a proponent of the divisive political landscape, as someone who frequently spouts far-right commentary on X and has recently served in the administration.

He has previously expressed his despair at “the downfall of Western civilization” regarding immigration in Europe. He has peddled several narratives from far-right accounts, including that of British activist Tommy Robinson.