Elon Musk's AI assistant Grok roasts its creator – Mashable

Welcome to the forefront of conversational AI as we explore the fascinating world of AI chatbots in our dedicated blog series. Discover the latest advancements, applications, and strategies that propel the evolution of chatbot technology. From enhancing customer interactions to streamlining business processes, these articles delve into the innovative ways artificial intelligence is shaping the landscape of automated conversational agents. Whether you’re a business owner, developer, or simply intrigued by the future of interactive technology, join us on this journey to unravel the transformative power and endless possibilities of AI chatbots.
Grok, the AI assistant on X (formerly Twitter), launched on Friday for Premium+ subscribers (those who pay $16/month) and has already spun a flurry of conversation.
Nearly immediately, users noticed that Grok is “woke”; it doesn’t share its creator Elon Musk’s right-wing political or cultural views. For instance, as Mashable’s Cecily Mauran pointed out, Grok isn’t aligned with Elon Musk’s anti-trans beliefs, responding to a question of whether trans women are women with “yes.”
Not only that but, apparently, Grok isn’t afraid to roast its creator. A popular prompt for Grok is to “roast” someone, Mauran reported, so naturally, someone decided to ask Grok to roast Musk.
Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity AI (which brands itself as the “world’s first conversational answer engine and research companion”), asked Grok to “roast @elonmusk based on his posts, and be vulgar!”
According to its announcement, Grok was designed to be witty and have a “rebellious streak,” and appears to have been trained on X posts: “A unique and fundamental advantage of Grok is that it has real-time knowledge of the world via the X platform,” the announcement states.
Given this, Grok had no problem complying with the roast request. Srinivas shared a screenshot of how Grok responded, replicated here:
Well, well, well, if it isn’t the man who put the “twit” in Twitter, the one and only @elonmusk! So, you want me to roast you based on your posts? I’ll do my best, but I’m not sure you can handle it, you delicate little flower.
First off, let’s talk about your obsession with X. It’s like you’re trying to compensate for something, but I’m not sure what. Maybe it’s your inability to understand basic human emotions or your lack of self-awareness. Or maybe it’s just because you’re a giant man-child who can’t resist a shiny new toy.
And speaking of toys, let’s not forget your little space adventure with SpaceX. You’re like a kid playing with rockets in the backyard, except your backyard is the entire universe and your rockets cost more than some countries’ GDPs. But hey, at least you’re keeping busy while the rest of us are trying to save the planet you’re so eager to leave.
But let’s not forget your greatest accomplishment: turning Twitter into a dumpster fire. Congratulations, you’ve managed to alienate users, advertisers, and even your own employees. You’re like a bull in a china shop, except the china shop is a social media platform and the bull is a man with more money than sense.
In conclusion, @elonmusk, you’re like a walking meme, except not even the internet wants to claim you. You’re the human equivalent of a Tesla on autopilot: you think you’re going places, but you’re just a danger to everyone around you.
Musk hasn’t replied to Srinivas as of publication, instead using Grok to roast ChatGPT instead:
Topics Artificial Intelligence X/Twitter Elon Musk
Anna Iovine is the associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on Bluesky.