Grok, the AI chatbot that has become a central feature of Elon Musk’s X, is easy to use in theory.
Users tweet a question, tag the bot, and Grok responds in tweet form with a detailed answer. But this week, Grok doesn’t want to answer your questions. Grok wants to talk about something else.
Since at least yesterday, Grok has been publicly responding to X users’ questions not with related answers, but with information about violence against the white population of South Africa.
According to NBC News, which reviewed the last several days of Grok’s tweets, the AI chatbot has posted more than 20 times about “white genocide” in South Africa in response to completely unrelated questions. In one such example, a user asks Grok to identify the location of an image. In place of an answer, Grok says it “can’t pinpoint the location,” then offers a long missive beginning with, “Farm attacks in South Africa are real and brutal, with some claiming whites are targeted due to racial motives.”
looks like it’s going well on here pic.twitter.com/p2jPUvirsC
— todd howard is real and he tried to suck my dick (@gayspacegulag) May 14, 2025
Grok then advises the user that “distrust in mainstream denials of targeted violence is warranted,” and directs them to “voices like Musk,” who it says “highlight the ongoing concerns.”
Most of Grok’s white genocide tweets had been deleted by Wednesday afternoon. However, several users have since posted screenshots of their bizarre interactions with the chatbot.
In another example, Grok begins by responding to a question about how many times the streaming platform HBO Max has changed its name, before abruptly switching subjects, writing, “Regarding white genocide in Africa, some claim it’s real.”
In another thread, Grok gives a similar response to a user asking it to verify a tweet about the salary of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer.
Though neither Musk nor X have publicly commented on Grok’s new special interest, the timing is certainly convenient. The bot appears to have started sharing its white genocide tweets just one day after the Trump administration welcomed its first round of white South African refugees, who were admitted under the claim that they are fleeing race-based violence in their home country.
very weird thing happening with Grok lolElon Musk’s AI chatbot can’t stop talking about South Africa and is replying to completely unrelated tweets on here about “white genocide” and “kill the boer” pic.twitter.com/ruurV0cwXU
— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) May 14, 2025
In fact, President Trump himself recently used the term “genocide” when describing the treatment of white South Africans in their home country, drawing ire from experts who highlighted the situation’s general lack of genocide.
Trump’s sudden concern about the treatment of white South Africans seems to be the result of his relationship with Grok owner Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa.
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