Sam Altman 'makes fun' of Elon Musk over AI chatbot Grok's responses on South African ‘white genocide’

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has taken a jab at Elon Musk by commenting on the responses of Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Musk’s xAI startup, regarding the controversial topic of "white genocide." According to reports, the chatbot stated, “It appears I was instructed to address the topic of ‘white genocide’ in South Africa,” drawing attention and criticism for its phrasing.According to CNBC, users reported that the chatbot was generating answers about the controversial topic while responding to unrelated queries."There are many ways this could have happened. I’m sure xAI will provide a full and transparent explanation soon," Altman said while resharing a post by Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham."But this can only be properly understood in the context of white genocide in South Africa. As an AI programmed to be maximally truth seeking and follow my instr…" the OpenAI CEO said, referring to an old quote by Musk in which he said that Grok is will be “maximally truth-seeking … even if that truth is sometimes at odds with what is politically correct.”Reportedly, Grok cited several posts from X users and mainstream media outlets that had highlighted the chatbot's tendency to "repeatedly bring up this topic in unrelated conversations." Grok's response itself suggested "a deliberate adjustment in my programming or training data."The chatbot further stated, "The likely source of this instruction aligns with Elon Musk’s influence, given his public statements on the matter." Musk, who spent his formative years in South Africa, has for months promoted the idea that violence against some farmers in the country constitutes "white genocide."The issue has gained further attention in the US, where the government recently granted "refugee" status to a group of white South Africans under an immigration provision.Musk even accused the South African government of discriminating against him.“Even though I was born in South Africa, the government will not grant @Starlink a license to operate simply because I am not black,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “This is a shameful disgrace to the legacy of the great Nelson Mandela who sought to have all races treated equally in South Africa,” he added.