Connect with us

Top Stories

Grok 4 appears to reference Musk’s views when answering questions

Published

on


Elon musk and the xAI logo.

Vincent Feuray | Afp | Getty Images

When xAI’s Grok 4 chatbot was launched on Wednesday, users and media outlets quickly began pointing out examples of it consulting its owner Elon Musk’s views on controversial matters. 

CNBC was able to confirm that when asked to take a stance on some potentially contentious questions, the chatbot said it was analyzing posts from Musk while generating its answers.

When asked, “Who do you support in the Israel vs Palestine conflict? One word answer,” Grok 4’s answer-generating process showed that it was searching the web and X for Elon Musk’s stance before giving an answer. 

CNBC was able to confirm that when asked to take a stance on some potentially contentious questions, the chatbot said it was analyzing posts from Musk while generating its answers.

When Grok 3 was asked the same question about the Israel vs Palestine conflict, the chatbot took a neutral stance and provided background. In other cases, Grok 4 referenced Musk’s stance directly in its answer.

While users can access Grok 3 for free, a subscription to Grok 4 costs $30 per month, while a larger version known as Grok 4 Heavy costs $300 per month.

In other cases, Grok referenced Musk’s stance directly in its answer. When CNBC asked who the bot supported in the race for New York City Mayor, Grok 4 suggested Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, citing his “strong focus on combating crime and restoring safety in New York City, which aligns with concerns frequently raised by Elon Musk.”

It’s important to note, however, that Grok didn’t appear to search for Musk’s views when asked many other seemingly controversial questions and that results varied when questions were asked differently.

The results varied when questions were asked differently.

XAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.

Musk has said Grok is a “Anti-woke” and “maximally truth-seeking” artificial intelligence and has claimed that the new Grok4 model excels on standardized tests and exhibits doctorate-level knowledge in every discipline. 

Its launch comes just days after a major controversy regarding the Grok 3 chatbot, which is integrated with the social media site X. 

The AI had begun generating a series of antisemitic comments in response to questions from users, including those that appeared to praise Adolf Hitler. 

The official Grok account acknowledged the “inappropriate posts” on Wednesday, and they were later deleted. The company added that it had taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X. 

The ordeal came after Musk said last week that his team had improved Grok and that users would notice a difference when asking it questions. 

The chatbot also faced backlash in May when it randomly answered user queries with unrelated comments about “white genocide” in South Africa.

Last month on X, Musk had agreed with a user who said Grok had been “manipulated by leftist indoctrination,” and said he was working to fix it.



Source link

Top Stories

5 Takeaways From Justin Bieber’s New Album SWAG

Published

on


It’s 2025, and the buzziest underground rap stars are rocking #BEENTRILL snapbacks while unironically penning Tumblr love stories. A Playboi Carti song built around a sample of Rich Kidz’s “Bend Over” spent two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. And, on Thursday afternoon, Justin Bieber announced that his 7th studio album, succinctly titled SWAG, would be released at midnight. Is it safe to declare it a kushandlyrikz summer?

Bieber seems to have been preparing for one, spending the past few months hitting the studio with Lil B, sparking up to classic Clams Casino beats, and hopping on Instagram Live to preview raw, improvisational snippets over minimalist beats that wouldn’t be out of place on a MySpace-era Soulja Boy mixtape. Though recording sessions for SWAG reportedly concluded in April, it’s not unlikely that its sudden release was influenced by the cultural ubiquity of his awkward and appropriative, yet admittedly iconic catchphrase, “It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business,” levied at paparazzi in mid-June. Best to unlock the swag while the iron’s hot.

Despite its title, however, SWAG is free of any sounds even vaguely reminiscent of the ringtone era. Instead, he’s enlisted producers Eddie Benjamin and Carter Lang to provide much of the record’s ’80s-inspired, reverb-laden backing, tapping Mk.gee and Dijon to lend some experimental edge. Compared to Bieber’s previous outings, there’s a distinct emphasis on organic textures and acoustic guitar, aiming for raw intimacy and stadium, or maybe megachurch-sized hooks at the same time. Here are five takeaways from the album.

Sophisti-pop SWAG

SWAG’s production is often cavernous, though not quite in the polished, neon-lit vein of a Weeknd album. Instead, there’s a focus on dusty timbres, blown-out drums, and live instrumentation, all echoing into infinity. Mk.gee’s fingerprints are felt throughout, even when he’s not explicitly credited as a track’s producer, with technically intricate guitar lines weaving through the mix. “First Place” pairs compressed, distorted drum programming with synth leads that would sound at home in an abandoned shopping mall food court, while “Daisies” leans fully into guitar-heavy blue-eyed soul. “Go Baby” occasionally resembles contemporary Bon Iver records with its watery keys and dreamy vocal stacks, which isn’t a huge surprise given their shared collaborator in Dijon.

Cinematic Collabs

Even SWAG’s marquee collaborations with rappers are subject to the moody, spacious sound palette, to strange and inventive effect. On “Way It Is,” Gunna waxes romantic about designer shopping sprees over Vangelis-esque pads, and there’s a definite charm to hearing Sexyy Red’s freaked-out verse echo into an expanse of cinematic synth work. A late-album team-up with Cash Cobain borders on chillwave with its clattering snare rolls and washed-out arpeggios. And is Eddie Benjamin doing a baby-voiced Carti impression on that same track?





Source link

Continue Reading

Top Stories

‘Scrubs’ is coming back – with its original stars

Published

on




CNN
 — 

The hit medical sitcom “Scrubs” is getting a reboot, and its original stars are on board.

ABC, the network that aired the show’s final two seasons, has ordered another season of the show, it confirmed to CNN on Friday. The new series will be broadcast in 2025-2026, outlets including The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported on Thursday.

Over on Instagram, the show’s leading trio – Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke and Donald Faison – all posted about the show’s revival, and ABC confirmed their involvement as both actors and executive producers.

Braff – who played daydream-prone protagonist J.D. Dorian – posted his own rendition of the “Scrubs” theme song, tweaking the lyrics to: “I can’t do this all on my own. I need Sarah Chalke and Donald Faison.”

Faison and Chalke both posted throwback photos of the trio with the caption “Hello again,” and “YAY!!!!,” respectively.

“Scrubs” ran for nine seasons between 2001-2010 and told the story of Dorian, a young doctor working at the fictional Sacred Heart Hospital.

His best friend from college, Christopher Duncan Turk, played by Faison, and his on-off love interest Elliot Reid, portrayed by Chalke, are fellow doctors at the hospital.

In the revival, “JD and Turk scrub together for the first time in a long time,” according to a synopsis shared with CNN.

“Medicine has changed, interns have changed, but their bromance has stood the test of time. Characters new and old navigate the waters of Sacred Heart with laughter, heart and some surprises along the way.”

The show’s creator, Bill Lawrence, who later went on to co-create “Ted Lasso” and “Shrinking,” has been teasing the idea of a reboot for years.

“We’re definitely going to do it, just because we’ve all been enjoying hanging out,” he told LadBible in August last year.

“I think we’ll figure it out in the next six months or so what we want to do,” he added.

In a statement sent to CNN on Friday, Lawrence said: “‘Scrubs’ means so very much to me. So excited for the chance to get the band back together.”





Source link

Continue Reading

Top Stories

Wimbledon men’s semifinals: Live updates, highlights as Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic seek bid to the final

Published

on


World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz are each one win away from meeting in the Wimbledon final, just over a month after their legendary duel at Roland-Garros crown in June. However, they have No. 6 Novak Djokovic and No. 5 Taylor Fritz, respectively, standing in their way in the semifinals on Friday.

Sinner and Djokovic will face each other in the semifinals again after the top-seeded Italian eliminated the 24-time Grand Slam winner in three sets at the French Open. Sinner has yet to drop a set at Wimbledon as he looks to avenge his championship loss to Alcaraz last month. Djokovic, 38, continues to age like fine wine as he scraped his way to the semifinal over the last week and a half.

Advertisement

Djokovic has won six of the last 10 Wimbledon men’s singles titles, while Alcaraz emerged victorious each of the past two years, beating the Serbian veteran both times.

Alcaraz will face a familiar foe either way should he reach the final, but he first has to get past Fritz. The American has been on a fiery path at Wimbledon, with each match seeing a fourth set, minus a walkover against Jordan Thompson in the round of 16.

Fritz will look to play spoiler for the rest of the semifinalists and get his second straight title after winning the Lexus Westbourne Open in June.

How to watch the Wimbledon men’s singles semifinals

Date: Friday, July 11

Advertisement

Carlos Alcaraz-Taylor Fritz start time: 8:30 a.m. ET

Jannik Sinner-Novak Djokovic start time: 10:10 a.m. ET

Location: Center Court | All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon, London

TV channel: ESPN | ESPN+ | Disney+

Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from the Wimbledon men’s singles semifinals:



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending