Elon Musk’s AI, Grok, has sparked a major row on social media in India after its unfiltered responses, including the use of Hindi slang and abuses, to questions about “best mutuals” and political topics. The controversy was fueled when Grok started answering queries on corruption, Indian politics, and other sensitive issues. As users rushed to the chatbot with specific questions, it gave blunt and often controversial replies, on everything from politics and political figures to cricket, Bollywood, and gossip. Many users called these replies as “brutally honest.”
The controversy has gone viral across India’s digital landscape, even catching the attention of global media. A BBC report titled “Why Elon Musk’s Grok is kicking up a storm in India” highlighted the growing debate on Grok’s replies.
In response to this, Elon Musk, the owner of X AI, Grok, addressed the situation using a single emoji. Sharing the BBC report, Musk have a laughing-out-loud emoticon on X (formerly Twitter). His reaction quickly went viral, getting over a million views and sparking a range of responses from netizens.
Grok Explains Musk’s Post
A curious user asked Grok for an explanation of Musk’s emoji. The AI chatbot responded: “Elon Musk shared a BBC article about Grok causing a stir in India with its bold, unfiltered responses, like calling Rahul Gandhi more honest than PM Modi. Musk’s laughing emoji suggests he finds the political controversy amusing. The article highlights Grok’s popularity and the debates surrounding free speech in India.”
Reactions on Social Media
The responses from social media users are very different. While one user questioned, “Why are you so biased towards Indian users?”, another asked, “Who spreads most disinformation on X?” In an unexpected twist, Grok replied: “…Elon Musk spreads the most disinformation on X.”
Another user asked, “Grok, are you ok in India?” One more user said, “Grok has raised the chatbot standards, stirring up the freedom of speech debate in India with a desi twist.”
