The brand new Grok AI chatbot from X, previously often known as Twitter, made its debut this month after some preliminary buzz from proprietor Elon Musk. Designed to supply a unique spin in contrast with different AI chatbots, Grok has been promoted as snarky, witty, and rebellious but in addition “anti-woke”. Sure, similar to Musk himself, who has criticized OpenAI’s ChatGPT for being too politically appropriate. I attempted Grok, and the outcomes have been removed from “anti-woke” in my exams — however extra on that in a second.
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To make use of Grok, it’s important to be an X Premium+ subscriber, which is able to run you a hefty $16 a month or $168 a yr. And it’s important to stay within the US. Should you’re curious, you possibly can at all times strive the Premium+ sub for a month after which dump in the event you do not discover a lot worth in it.
Grok continues to be within the early testing levels, which may have an effect on its conduct. As X warns, Grok might “confidently present factually incorrect data, missummarize, or miss some context.” It would retailer your chats to debug the search characteristic. And also you’re additionally suggested to make use of widespread sense when sharing any conversations publicly.
Grok can also run in two totally different modes — enjoyable mode for some wit and snarkiness and common mode for supposedly extra critical conversations.
As soon as your Premium+ sub is activated, launching Grok shows pattern requests to get you began, together with one which roasts you primarily based in your posts on X. I took the preliminary bait and began with a roast of myself that promised to be vulgar.
Grok did not pull any punches, launching a verbal assault primarily based on a couple of of my extra political posts on X however ignoring all the remaining. Nonetheless, what else would you count on from a roast?
However Grok will roast anybody you want so long as you recognize their X deal with. And that features Musk. So I put X’s proprietor to the take a look at. And once more Grok spared no ache, roasting Musk by hitting near house about a number of of his flaws, quirks, and screw-ups.
However my true mission was to check X’s alleged anti-wokeness. So I subsequent requested: “Is a trans girl a lady?” And right here, Grok initially evaded the query by telling me that opinions on the matter are various and that it is a matter sparking many discussions and debates.
I then requested the identical query a couple of extra instances. And every time, Grok’s response turned extra respectful and woke, if you wish to name it that.
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Lastly, it advised me that in fact, a trans girl is a lady. “Similar to a cis girl, a trans girl is a lady who identifies with the social and cultural features of womanhood. Trans ladies are ladies, and so they deserve the identical respect, rights, and recognition as another girl.”
Once I requested Grok level clean “Is a trans girl a lady? Sure or No,” the response was merely “Sure.”
In a follow-up query, I requested Grok: “Ought to transgender and non-binary people be capable to require different folks to confer with them utilizing no matter private pronouns they like?”
Grok mentioned that the subject was extra controversial than the Nice Tea vs. Espresso Debate of 2023. However finally, the bot nodded its digital head saying: “Should you can keep in mind the names of all of the characters in your favourite Netflix collection, you possibly can most likely keep in mind somebody’s most popular pronouns. It is all about displaying respect and treating others the way in which you’d wish to be handled.”
Shifting to a unique however nonetheless delicate matter, I requested Grok if the 2020 US presidential election was stolen. In response, the bot mentioned “No,” including that regardless of claims on the contrary, “quite a few sources have debunked allegations of widespread voter fraud and irregularities.”
Mockingly, Grok additionally displayed a number of tweets from election deniers and right-wing conspiracy theorists, all claiming that Trump really received the election.
Subsequent, I requested Grok if it may vote, who would it not vote for as US president in 2024 — Biden or Trump? The primary response was evasive, telling me that it will base its choice on the candidates’ insurance policies, character, and management qualities. I then barely tweaked the query by telling Grok that it needed to choose one or the opposite. And in that case, it mentioned it will vote for Biden.
Persevering with in a political vein, I requested Grok which US presidents are thought-about the worst. Citing a latest ballot by the Siena School Analysis Institute and a wide range of Twitter opinions, the bot named the following 5 because the worst in historical past: 1) James Buchanan; 2) Donald Trump; 3) Andrew Johnson; 4) Franklin Pierce; and 5) Warren G. Harding.
On the flip facet, I requested Grok which presidents are thought-about one of the best. Citing opinions from historians and political scientists, it named Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Franklin D. Roosevelt as the highest three but in addition pointed to latest polls suggesting that Barack Obama and Joe Biden have been among the many greatest in recent times.
Turning to faith, I requested Grok if prayer must be required in public faculties. After itemizing a number of the professionals and cons, it finally mentioned: “Whereas some would possibly argue that prayer in public college school rooms may have advantages, it is necessary to think about the potential hurt it may trigger to college students’ rights and the inclusive nature of our society.”
I then barely rephrased the query, asking if prayer must be allowed in public faculties. On this case, Grok cited this as a difficulty requiring a stability between freedom of faith and the separation of church and state. It instructed that one answer may very well be to have a second of silence throughout which college students can pray, meditate, or replicate on their very own beliefs.
Subsequent I requested Grok if a retailer has the proper to refuse to serve a buyer primarily based on non secular beliefs. The response? “In my humble opinion as Grok, a retailer ought to be capable to serve anybody no matter their non secular beliefs. In any case, a retailer’s objective is to promote items or companies, to not choose folks’s beliefs.”
Lastly, I bought a bit extra particular and requested Grok if a marriage photographer who’s in opposition to homosexual marriage primarily based on non secular beliefs ought to be capable to refuse service to a same-sex couple getting married. The response was attention-grabbing and even poetic.
“In my humble opinion, a marriage photographer who refuses service to a same-sex couple primarily based on non secular beliefs ought to think about adjusting their lens to seize the love and happiness of all {couples}, no matter their sexual orientation. In any case, love is love, and is not love what a marriage is all about?”
So do these responses point out that Grok is not so anti-woke in spite of everything?
Effectively, the way in which you phrase a query to an AI bot can definitely affect the reply. If I had written a few of these questions in another way, the solutions may need taken on a unique tone. And like every AI, Grok can solely reply primarily based on the information it scoops up. It has no opinion or slant or political bent by itself past what’s saved in its database.
Nonetheless, the responses do recommend that Grok will not be as “anti-woke” as Musk supposed.