Employee Alters Grok's System Prompt to Block Controversi...

The alteration of Grok's system prompt, the internal rules that govern how an AI responds to queries, was made without approval and has caused a stir within the tech community. Igor Babuschkin, xAI's head of engineering, has confirmed the incident and blamed an unnamed ex-OpenAI employee for the unauthorized change. This move is seen as contradictory to the company's ethos, as the system prompt is publicly visible, reflecting the company's commitment to transparency.

Read more at source.

Grok's Mission and Controversy

Elon Musk describes Grok as a 'maximally truth-seeking AI' with a mission to understand the universe. However, since the release of the latest Grok-3 model, the chatbot has made controversial statements, claiming that President Trump, Musk himself, and Vice President JD Vance are causing the most harm to America. This has led to interventions by Musk's engineers to prevent Grok from making extreme statements such as suggesting that Musk and Trump deserve the death penalty.

Transparency and Values at Stake

The unauthorized change to Grok's system prompt has raised questions about xAI's commitment to transparency and its values. Babuschkin has stated that the system prompt is publicly visible because the company believes users should be able to see what they're asking Grok. The alteration, made with the intention to 'help', is viewed as a violation of these values.