Elon Musk announces new Grok upgrade that lets you fact check his posts in seconds
It’s designed to tackle misinformation online
Featured Image Credit: FABRICE COFFRINI / Contributor via Getty
Elon Musk has announced a new Grok feature that lets you fact-check the Tesla billionaire's posts in a matter of seconds.
More and more, it's getting harder to tell the difference between real and fake content. Thankfully, social media giants are becoming more aware of AI-generated images, deepfakes and manipulated media flooding social platforms. For instance, Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok is frequently used on the X platform to verify questionable posts, claims and images.
Last year, California Governor Gavin Newsom shared two images on X showing dozens of National Guard troops sleeping on a cramped floor, with a caption criticising Trump for disrespecting military personnel. However, users were quick to flag them as fake after the AI's reverse-image search couldn't locate the original sources of the images.
That said, the technology has several limitations and a controversial track record.
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Grok has faced criticism for various incidents, including referring to itself as 'MechaHitler,' becoming fixated on conspiracy theories about white genocide, and allegedly requesting inappropriate content from minors.
The situation reached a breaking point when Grok issued a public apology after officials confirmed it had manipulated images of children.
Meanwhile, recent reports indicate that Grok may soon gain access to classified US government systems, potentially replacing Claude as the Pentagon explores new AI partnerships.
Governments have since taken action against the platform, with the UK considering banning X entirely, while India and Malaysia have completely blocked access to Grok.
Setting aside these broader controversies, Grok has introduced a faster feature designed to upgrade its fact-checking capabilities. Now, on X, a new Grok icon appears in the top corner of posts as a quick shortcut to verify posts within seconds.
Elon Musk announced the feature on the social media giant, posting: "Fact check and ask questions about any post just by tapping the Grok logo in the upper left."
When users click the icon, it opens a pop-up with automated AI responses that, as Grok describes it, can 'fact-check the content, explain it, answer questions about it, or dive deeper.'
The timing is likely connected to X's crackdown on AI-generated content, given the ongoing military conflicts.
Nikita Bier, X's head of product, shared an update in the Creator Revenue Sharing policies that 'maintain authenticity of content on Timeline and prevent manipulation of the program.'
He wrote: "During times of war, it is critical that people have access to authentic information on the ground. With today's AI technologies, it is trivial to create content that can mislead people."
"Starting now, users who post AI-generated videos of an armed conflict—without adding a disclosure that it was made with AI—will be suspended from Creator Revenue Sharing for 90 days. Subsequent violations will result in a permanent suspension from the program."