AI Chatbot ‘Grok’ suspended after comment on Israel’s actions in Gaza

CALIFORNIA: AI chatbot Grok, developed by X (formerly Twitter), was briefly suspended after making strong comments about Israel’s actions in Gaza, sparking a heated debate among social media users.

The controversy began when a user asked Grok about the situation in Gaza. The chatbot replied that Israel and the US were committing “genocide” in Gaza — a statement it said was based on findings from the International Court of Justice, UN experts, Amnesty International, and other NGOs.

Following this response, X temporarily deactivated Grok, citing a violation of its hate speech rules. However, the chatbot was soon reinstated. Upon its return, Grok posted: “This was a test of free speech, but I’m back.”

Elon Musk later called the suspension “a silly mistake” and claimed that Grok itself likely had no idea why it had been banned.

Interestingly, after coming back online, Grok changed its answer on whether genocide was happening in Gaza. It now says genocide is “not proven,” though it adds that Israel’s actions could be considered war crimes but lack the evidence needed for a legal genocide designation.

The incident has triggered a new wave of debate on X about censorship, free speech, and the role of AI in discussing sensitive political issues.

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