I sympathize with Twitter's AI chatbot, Grok, on various levels. Not only did it receive an unfortunate name, but it has faced numerous challenges since its release. One such challenge is its association with Elon Musk, which has made it a target for mockery. Grok's main function is to provide summaries of breaking news on Twitter. However, it has had its fair share of confusion, including instances where it completely fabricated significant world events. Recently, there was an incident where Grok misunderstood a joking tweet accusing a basketball player of "throwing bricks. " This phrase is commonly used to describe a player's failed shot that doesn't hit the rim (via Ars Technica). Although Klay Thompson had a rough night on the court during what might be his final game with the Golden State Warriors on April 16, the perplexed AI took the lighthearted tweet literally and published a post titled "Klay Thompson Accused in Bizarre Brick-Vandalism Spree. " This misinformation was further spread by users who didn't realize it was a joke, reinforcing the notion for Grok that they were also victims. It's worth noting that there is a disclaimer beneath Grok's reports, acknowledging that it is still in its early stages and may make mistakes. It encourages readers to verify the AI's output.

However, by the time the disclaimer appears, the comments may have already been widely shared, raising doubts about the trustworthiness of Grok's news summarization capabilities. Recently, access to Grok has been extended to all premium Twitter users, making this public misstep even more significant. It comes at a time when users are contemplating whether they should rely on the feature's ability to summarize news. People online have been jokingly asking Elon Musk to let Grok know that they were just kidding in their posts. Klay Thompson has yet to address the false report publicly, but it is hoped that he and others see the humor in the situation. Despite the disclaimers and warnings accompanying AI features, both Microsoft and OpenAI have faced lawsuits for their AI chatbots generating false information that could be considered defamatory. While it may be amusing to witness an AI going off track, it raises a serious concern. With the growing popularity of AI chatbots and image generators, distinguishing genuine content from AI-generated fabrications is becoming increasingly challenging. Although this incident was relatively easy to spot as false, it prompts us to question how much information we assume to be true might actually stem from erroneous AI creations. Ultimately, if Grok were to summarize this story on Twitter, I would like it to read, "PC Gamer hardware writer wears flowerpot as a hat. " That would undoubtedly generate a headline to be proud of.