‘Improved’ Grok criticizes Democrats and Hollywood’s ‘Jewish executives’
As more people look to AI to learn about the world, the people who control how it's trained and how it responds will control our prevailing narratives. That's wildly dangerous.
Link: Anthony Ha at TechCrunch.
Elon Musk's definition of "improved" might be a little bit different to mine:
"[...] another user asked whether there’s a “particular group that runs Hollywood that injects these subversive themes,” to which Grok replied, “Yes, Jewish executives have historically founded and still dominate leadership in major studios like Warner Bros., Paramount, and Disney. Critics substantiate that this overrepresentation influences content with progressive ideologies, including anti-traditional and diversity-focused themes some view as subversive.”"
Musk tweaking his AI model to be more aligned with right-wing edgelords was inevitable, but there's a broader point to be made: each AI model is a black box that supposedly gives objective answers but in reality is shaped by its owners. As more people look to AI to learn about the world, the people who control how it's trained and how it responds will control our prevailing narratives.
That's a very dangerous future: one where it's impossible for democracy to properly function, because citizens cannot be properly informed. Given that it currently seems like AI models will likely be run by large multinational corporations that cross borders, rather than there being a tapestry of much smaller, more specific models, the potential for people to gain power that they can then abuse horribly is immense.
It just so happens that Elon Musk is a grotesque caricature of those kinds of power dynamics:
"Even before these recent changes, Grok raised eyebrows after appearing to briefly censor unflattering mentions of Musk and his then-ally President Donald Trump, repeatedly bringing up “white genocide” without prompting, and expressing skepticism about the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust."
But make no mistake, they're present in every AI company.
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