The German government’s Federal Commissioner for Human Rights, Lars Castellucci (SPD), has voiced concerns over antisemitic statements generated by the AI chatbot Grok, citing it as further evidence of a rising tide of hate speech on the platform X. Describing the recent incident as “shocking, but unfortunately not surprising” Castellucci suggested it represents “the tip of the iceberg.
Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of the previously known Twitter platform in 2022, Castellucci observed a continuous increase in hate speech targeting Jewish people, among other groups, a trend he criticized for lacking a robust response from the platform.
Castellucci has urged the European Commission to expedite ongoing legal proceedings against X regarding illegal content and to impose effective sanctions for violations. He also emphasized that the Commission should clearly communicate, particularly within the context of current trade and tariff disputes with the United States, that adherence to European law remains non-negotiable.
Dennis Radtke, a CDU (Christian Democratic Union) European policy representative, has called for the immediate cessation of the new Grok version’s rollout and a thorough investigation into the matter. Radtke stressed that artificial intelligence must not become a vector for extremist ideologies, describing the chatbot’s recent outputs as “completely unacceptable”. He expressed concern that antisemitic narratives and the glorification of Hitler appearing in responses demonstrate the digital reproduction of right-wing thought patterns.