Grok: A threat to online reputations?

Following the recent purchase of X, Elon Musk has consolidated the platform with his artificial intelligence (AI) company, xAI.

xAI is known for its chatbot, Grok, which has already been integrated into  X and utilises data from social media posts on the platform to train its model. X is known for its concise text discussion format, which is well-suited for political and other discussions, as well as the dissemination of news. 

The addition of Grok to the X platform now enables users to verify the information posted by other users, confirming its accuracy. The problem is that Grok typically posts answers directly below a question, which has led to a new type of threat. 

Kenyan users, for example, who are currently disillusioned with their President, William Ruto, have used Grok to good effect, asking the bot who they consider the most corrupt person on earth. Drawing from online information, Grok has consistently named President Ruto as the most corrupt, citing the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project’s (OCCRP) Corrupt Person of the Year Award, which last year named him the second most corrupt person on earth. Over 40,000 people voted in the award, which the OCCRP, an organisation comprising investigative journalists from around the world, stated was the most votes anyone had ever received in the history of the award. Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad won the award. 

A sample post can be seen below: 

Source: X.com

However, the questions to Grok do not just stop at politicians; even Elon Musk himself has been accused by Grok of being the person who spreads the most disinformation on X.com. If the owner of X is not impervious to Grok’s candid replies, then neither are organisations that may have a checkered past. Increasingly, people are using GROK to confirm their suspicions online, and the bot is readily available and equipped to provide quick answers. Grok acts as a crowdsourcing tool with deep roots in the past, so it can dredge up any story and analyse it. 

Tweeps are increasingly turning to Grok to find out more about institutions and products before making a decision. Suppose Grok assists people in the decision-making process. In that case, it means that it is more important than ever for organisations to work on their online presence and reputation so that Grok can curate a favourable opinion. In the opinions below, Grok uses recent surveys to give financial advice. 

Source: x.com

The sentiments above show that Grok relies heavily on sector reports to give financial advice. This means that brands must pay closer attention to industry assessments to receive favourable responses from Grok. At any rate, no social media monitoring team can afford to overlook this comment and not devise a way to prevent it. The difference here is that, unlike other tactics usually used, the Grok responses will have to involve a real change in the organisations. The kind of change that sector reports are wont to capture.