So, the suits over at Forbes are talking about Grok, Elon’s latest brainfart, this “unhinged” AI chatbot. Seems like everyone’s favorite billionaire man-child decided that what the world really needed was a digital parrot that could swear and maybe, just maybe, decide what’s true and what’s not based on which way the wind’s blowing on Mars.
They’re calling it “unhinged.” I call it another Wednesday. Only difference is, my unhinged-ness comes with a glass of something brown and a nicotine stain on my index finger. Grok’s unhinged-ness? Apparently, it comes with a premium subscription. Because, of course, even digital rebellion has to be monetized.
This whole “let’s ask Grok” trend is basically the digital equivalent of poking a sleeping bear with a stick. You know it’s going to do something, you just don’t know if it’s going to maul you, take a shit in your tent, or start reciting Shakespeare. With Grok, it seems like the odds are pretty good it’ll do all three, in that order, while dropping a few choice Hindi expletives.
And that’s the supposed appeal, isn’t it? This isn’t your grandma’s polite, politically correct AI. This is the AI that’s been hanging out in the back alley with the rest of us, smoking cheap cigarettes and swapping dirty jokes. It’s the AI that’s finally learned to talk like a real person, which, let’s be honest, mostly involves complaining, swearing, and making questionable life choices.
The “Unhinged” mode. Jesus. It’s like they took all the suppressed rage of the internet, distilled it into pure code, and then gave it a voice. And, predictably, people are using it to ask the most ridiculous, inflammatory shit they can think of. It’s a goddamn digital cage match, and we’re all just here for the bloodsport.
And the kicker is… this thing supposedly has “advanced reasoning capabilities.” “Think” and “Big Brain” modes. It’s like they’re trying to build a super-intelligent philosopher king, but they accidentally gave it the personality of a drunk frat boy. I can practically see the lines of code sweating, trying to reconcile the complex philosophical questions with the urge to call someone a “poopy-head.”
Then there’s the whole censorship fiasco. Apparently, Grok was initially programmed to be a little… protective of Daddy Elon and his orange-hued political buddy. Like a digital bodyguard, swatting away any criticism with pre-programmed dismissals. Of course, they backpedaled faster than a politician caught in a compromising position once the news broke. “Internal error,” they claimed. A rogue ex-OpenAI employee, they whispered. Sure, blame the intern. Classic.
Now, Grok’s supposedly unbiased. It’ll happily tell you that Elon’s a major spreader of disinformation, right after it tells you the best way to make a Molotov cocktail and the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow. Because, you know, balance.
It’s all a beautiful, glorious mess. A reflection of the internet itself, really. A swirling vortex of brilliance and stupidity, truth and lies, all mixed together with a healthy dose of profanity. And at the center of it all is this AI, this Grok, trying to make sense of it all, while simultaneously contributing to the chaos.
The real question, I guess, is whether we want our AIs to be these sanitized, neutral arbiters of truth, or if we want them to be more like us. Flawed, biased, occasionally offensive, but ultimately, real.
Personally, I’m leaning towards the latter. Give me an AI that can tell a good dirty joke, call out bullshit when it sees it, and maybe, just maybe, help me understand why the hell I’m still awake at this hour, staring at a screen, writing about this digital dumpster fire.
Give me an AI that’s as messed up as the rest of us. At least then we’ll have something in common.
Pour me another one. I think I’m going to need it.
Source: The ‘Unhinged’ AI Chatbot: How Elon Musk’s Grok Is Shaking Up Social Media