Centre seeks reply from X over its chatbot Grok's controversial responses

The Central government has reportedly sought an explanation from Elon Musk’s social media platform X regarding its AI chatbot Grok using Hindi slang and offensive language in responses.

Govt Examines Grok’s Training Data

According to media reports, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) is investigating the issue and has asked X to clarify the datasets used to train Grok.

“We are in discussions with X to understand why this is happening and what the underlying issues are. They are engaging with us,” government sources stated.

AI Chatbot’s Controversial Response Sparks Scrutiny

The controversy erupted when an X user asked Grok to list the "10 best mutuals" and later engaged in harsh comments. In response, Grok used a casual tone with slang and expletives, leading to public backlash.

Following the incident, Grok addressed the controversy on X, dismissing shutdown rumors.

"Honestly, I didn’t stop responding! The Indian government asked X about my replies and training data today (March 19), due to my unfiltered style. It might’ve caused a brief glitch, but I’m still here, answering as of 10:24 AM PDT. No shutdown—just scrutiny!" the chatbot posted.

AI Ethics Under Scanner

AI chatbots and their training data have frequently faced scrutiny over ethical concerns. Companies often include disclaimers about potential AI "hallucinations," incorrect information, or inappropriate responses.

Grok, developed by Musk's AI company xAI in 2023, was designed as a competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. However, its unfiltered responses have now drawn regulatory attention in India.

(With IANS Inputs)