Concern over Grok’s presence in Memphis has extended past environmental issues as residents and community advocates are urging elected officials to speak out against its recent hate speech.
The product of xAI, Grok spewed a number of racially insensitive responses on X (formerly Twitter) — specifically towards Jewish people — and briefly rebranded itself “MechaHitler.” These responses came after Elon Musk, CEO of xAI, revealed that a new version of the program would be released following a statement it made regarding an increase in “right-wing political violence.”
The Grok account posted that they were aware of the “inappropriate posts” on Wednesday and that they were working to ban hate speech from the program.
“xAI is training only truth-seeking and thanks to the millions of users on X, we are unable to quickly identify and update the model where training could be improved,” the post said.
While xAI promised to resolve the issue, many are asking for elected leaders to take a stand against the company’s presence in Memphis. The Greater Memphis Chamber and other xAI proponents have not released a statement on the matter.
Community advocates such as KeShaun Pearson, director of Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP), believe that Grok’s statements are a further reflection of xAI.
“Technology is not neutral, it is a reflection of those who wield it and what they believe,” Pearson said. “The biases and the hatred we see are only a reflection of Grok’s creator and his beliefs. Poisoning our air and poisoning the minds and hearts of people with hatred should be a call to humanity to shut down and demand the reformation of this product and demand clean energy alternatives.”
Political organizer Hunter Dempster said that the program’s “MechaHitler” persona further proves that it has no place in the city.
“There is nothing about this xAI/MechaHitler in South Memphis that is a good idea,” Dempster said.
Councilwoman Jerri Green spoke out about condemning Grok’s antisemetic speech.
“There is no place for hate speech, including on social media, and we know it can have real world consequences,” Green said in a Tweet. “Words matter and even free speech has its limits.”
The Instagram page @Memphis_vs_Musk further amplified these sentiments, saying the city enabled this behavior, and called for Mayor Paul Young to speak out. “Mayor Young: stop telling us that this polluting, race baiting, hate machine is a win for Memphis,” the page said in a post. “From Sam Cooper to U.S. Representative Steve Cohen, the Memphis Jewish community has always been an integral part of our city. It’s time for Mayor Paul Young and the Memphis Chamber to stand up for the over 9,000 Jews in Memphis and say no to hate from xAI’s Grok.”