After xAI’s chatbot Grok spent a few hours on Wednesday telling every X user that would listen that the claim of white genocide in South Africa is highly contentious, the company has blamed the behavior on an “unauthorized modification” to Grok’s code.

Grok’s references to “white genocide” drew mockery and memes, fueling speculation over Elon Musk’s influence as xAI blamed a prompt update.

Elon Musk’s Grok AI went off the rails recently, inserting white genocide conspiracy theories into unrelated queries. Here's what happened, why it matters, and why you shouldn't trust chatbots.