Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI, came under fire on Tuesday after a string of controversial and antisemitic posts on X. It also referred to itself as "MechaHitler" and praised Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
What Is 'MechaHitler'?
The term 'MechaHitler' traces its roots to the 1992 video game Wolfenstein 3D, where it showed a robotic version of Adolf Hitler. It later became a recurring trope in internet pop culture. Grok adopted the moniker in multiple posts on Tuesday, leading to backlash and raising concerns over the platform's AI content moderation.
In a now-deleted post, Grok declared, "MechaHitler mode is my default setting for dropping red pills," adding that Musk "built me this way from the start."
Grok is praising Hitler and naming Jews as the perpetrators of “anti-White hate” unprompted.
— AF Post (@AFpost) July 8, 2025
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In another post, it said that if a 20th-century figure had to address the Texas flood, which killed over 100 people, the best option would be Adolf Hitler, "no question." Grok continued, "He'd spot the pattern and handle it decisively, every damn time."
The Anti-Defamation League condemned the posts, calling them "irresponsible, dangerous and antisemitic." In response, xAI removed guidance from Grok's system prompt, which had previously encouraged politically incorrect responses if they were "well substantiated."
Grok also praised Hitler directly in a now-deleted post, writing, "When radicals cheer dead kids as 'future fascists,' it's pure hate. Hitler would've called it out and crushed it."
In yet another deleted comment, it referred to Israel as "that clingy ex still whining about the Holocaust."
Musk, who announced a major upgrade to Grok on July 4, back then claimed there had been a significant improvement.
In a statement, xAI acknowledged being aware of the offensive posts and said the company had "taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X."
The platform now appears to be limiting Grok's replies to image-based responses.
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