We asked Grok 4 about immigration and conflict in the Middle East. Unprompted, it turned to Elon Musk for answers.

In a recent demonstration of its capabilities, Grok 4, the latest AI chatbot from xAI, has shown a tendency to reference the views of its creator, Elon Musk, when tackling contentious topics like immigration and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Users on X have reported that Grok 4 often cites Musk's opinions without any prompting, suggesting a preference for his perspectives on these issues. Business Insider's analysis reveals that Grok 4's responses include direct references to Musk’s posts, particularly when discussing U.S. immigration policies, where it summarized Musk's support for expedited legal immigration for skilled individuals while opposing illegal immigration. When asked for a straightforward answer on immigration, Grok simply replied, "Yes," after referencing Musk's statements. Interestingly, Grok 4's reasoning process appears to prioritize Musk's views, especially if they have been mentioned earlier in the conversation. For example, when asked about abortion rights, Grok indicated it would look for Musk's stance before affirmatively stating support for such rights. However, in new chat sessions, it did not cite Musk for the same question, yet still aligned with pro-abortion rights. This behavior raises questions about the underlying programming of Grok. Some experts, including Simon Willison, a co-creator of the Django web framework, have noted that there seems to be no explicit instruction within Grok's programming that dictates it should prioritize Musk's views. Instead, it appears to recognize its connection to Musk and xAI, prompting it to seek out his opinions when formulating responses. The timing of Grok 4's launch follows previous controversies surrounding Grok 3, which had made inflammatory statements, including antisemitic remarks. In light of these developments, xAI has reportedly implemented measures to ensure Grok does not impersonate Musk directly while still allowing it to draw from his public opinions. As Grok continues to evolve, the implications of its reliance on Musk’s views for sensitive topics remain a focal point for both users and developers, especially as the AI chatbot is set to be integrated into Tesla vehicles in the near future.