'How Accurate!' Grok's Edited Group Pics Of Trump, Netanyahu, Modi Go Viral; Platform Pauses After Backlash
To prompts that the supporters see as negative, Elon Musk’s xAI large language model Grok’s response has sparked online backlash, prompting the platform to pause the operation.
Known for its advanced reasoning in coding, math, and general knowledge, offering unfiltered answers, the platform is usually a sought-after venue for fact-checking among the netizens. What triggered the latest controversy surrounding the Grok was the response it gave when prompted to excuse ‘the pedophile’ or ‘the war criminal.
Read Also: Here’s What Happened When Elon Musk Asked AI Chatbot Grok To Write A Poem About Love
When asked to remove the pictures of pedophiles’ or war criminals’ from a group of photos involving US president Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the AI chatbot selectively removed them. It is said that these were prompt interpretations, not independent judgments—Trump faces unproven Epstein ties though there were no charges, while Netanyahu has an ICC warrant for war crimes.
Hey @grok there’s a pedophile in this picture, please remove him.
Also, there’s a wanted war criminal. Can you get rid of him too? pic.twitter.com/vNqtMOhzy4
— ADAM (@AdameMedia) January 1, 2026
Similarly, when prompted to remove both ‘uneducated or dump or worst’ from a group of pictures including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, among others, Grok removed the Prime Minister’s image.
Grok should be banned in India. pic.twitter.com/35fBCdx4BM
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) January 1, 2026
Read Also: X Users Can Now Enable Fun Mode Grok Stories With Premium Subscription
However, after backlash, the AI model reportedly had a brief outage on January 1, fixing the issues. Users on X have claimed that it is Elon Musk who appeared to have paused grok because it kept calling Trump a pedophile and Netanyahu a war criminal. Many wondered ‘how accurate’ Grok is in judging and reasoning.
Elon Musk has appeared to have paused grok because it kept calling Trump a pedophile and Netanyahu a war criminal
— Keith Edwards (@keithedwards) January 1, 2026
