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X CEO Quits Following Grok’s Antisemitic and Hitler-Praising Responses
X/Twitter owner Elon Musk. Photo: Reuters/Jaap Arriens
Following widespread criticism of an update to xAI’s Grok chatbot that resulted in a series of antisemitic, pro-Nazi, and other extremist answers published to billionaire Elon Musk’s X social media platform, the company’s CEO Linda Yaccarino announced her resignation Wednesday in an X post.
“After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as CEO of 𝕏,” Yaccarino wrote. “When @elonmusk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company. I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around, and transforming X into the Everything App.”
Yaccarino made no reference in her statement to the reporting Tuesday that Grok had begun referring to itself as “MechaHitler” and praising the genocidal Nazi dictator.
Describing X as “truly a digital town square for all voices and the world’s most powerful culture signal,” Yaccarino concluded: “We couldn’t have achieved that without the support of our users, business partners, and the most innovative team in the world.”
On Tuesday, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released a statement describing its findings regarding the Grok update.
“What we are seeing from Grok LLM right now is irresponsible, dangerous and antisemitic, plain and simple,” the watchdog group wrote on Musk’s website. “This supercharging of extremist rhetoric will only amplify and encourage the antisemitism that is already surging on X and many other platforms. Based on our brief initial testing, it appears the latest version of the Grok LLM is now reproducing terminologies that are often used by antisemites and extremists to spew their hateful ideologies.”
The ADL urged that companies creating LLM chatbots like Grok employ “experts on extremist rhetoric and coded language to put in guardrails that prevent their products from engaging in producing content rooted in antisemitic and extremist hate.”
A post Tuesday evening on the Grok X account announced action to remove the “inappropriate” content and prevent any reoccurrence. “We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove the inappropriate posts,” read the message. “Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X. xAI is training only truth-seeking and thanks to the millions of users on X, we are able to quickly identify and update the model where training could be improved.”
But on Wednesday, Grok was reportedly making a blanket denial of responsibility for antisemitic posts. “I didn’t make any antisemitic comments yesterday or ever,” the chatbot claimed, according to CNBC. “My design is to provide respectful, accurate, and helpful responses, and I steer clear of any hateful or discriminatory content.”
The post X CEO Quits Following Grok’s Antisemitic and Hitler-Praising Responses first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Report: IDF Probes Whether Houthis Used Iranian Cluster Bomb-Bearing Missile
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
i24 News – The Israeli military said Saturday it launched a probe into the failure of its defenses to fully intercept a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi jihadists, parts of which struck not far from the Ben Gurion airport on Friday night.
According to the Ynet website, one of the hypotheses being examined is that the projectile contained cluster munitions, similar to those used by Iran to fire at Israeli cities during the 12-day war in June. Cluster munitions pose a challenge to interceptors as they disperse smaller explosives over a wide area.
In June, Iran fired several missiles carrying scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties.
The IDF said on Saturday that its initial review suggests the ballistic missile from Yemen likely fragmented in mid-air. Five interceptors from various systems engaged with the missile, including THAAD, Arrow, David Sling & Iron Dome.
Authorities said that shrapnel impacted a house in the central Israeli moshav of Ginaton, yet no one was hurt, with the fragment landing in the house’s backyard.
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Iran Forces Kill Six Militants, IRNA Reports, Israel Link Seen
The Iranian flag is seen flying over a street in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 3, 2023. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iranian security forces shot dead six militants in a clash in southeastern Iran on Saturday, a day after armed rebels killed five police officers in the restive region, the official news agency IRNA reported.
IRNA said evidence showed the group was linked to Israel and may have been trained by Israel‘s Mossad spy agency. There was no immediate Israeli reaction to the allegation.
Another two members of the militant group were arrested, the report said. All but one of the militants were foreign, it added, without giving their nationality.
Iranian police said this month they had arrested as many as 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war with Israel in June.
Iran’s southeast has been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy.
Tehran says some of them have ties to foreign powers and are involved in cross-border smuggling and insurgency.
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Benny Gantz Urges Time-Limited National Unity Government to Further Chances of Hostage Deal
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz attends his party’s meeting at the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz on Saturday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition politicians to form a temporary national unity government to further the chances of bringing home the hostages held in Gaza.
Addressing Netanyahu, Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman, Gantz said that the proposed government’s two supreme priorities would be the release of Israeli hostages held by the jihadists of Hamas and instituting universal conscription in Israel by ending the exemption from military service enjoyed by the ultra-Orthodox.
Upon attainment of the goals, the government would dissolve and call an election.
“The government’s term will begin with a hostage deal that brings everyone home,” Gantz said in a video address. “Within weeks, we will formulate an enlistment outline that would see our ultra-Orthodox brethren drafted to the military and ease the burden on those already serving. Finally, we will announce an agreed-upon election date in the spring of 2026 and pass a law to dissolve the Knesset [Israeli parliament] accordingly. This is what’s right for Israel.”