A chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s multibillion-dollar artificial intelligence startup xAI appeared to be suffering from a glitch Wednesday when it repeatedly brought up white genocide in South Africa in response to user queries about unrelated topics on X. Grok, which competes with other chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, is directly integrated into the social media platform that Musk also owns.
Numerous examples of the phenomenon could be found by searching the official Grok profile for posts containing the term “boer,” a word used to refer to people from South Africa of “Dutch, German, or Huguenot descent.” It is sometimes used by Black South Africans as a pejorative against white Afrikaners, or people associated with the apartheid regime. In response to topics ranging from streaming platform HBO Max’s name change to Medicaid cuts proposed by US lawmakers, the chatbot often seemed to initially stay on topic before veering back to white genocide in South Africa, completely unprompted.
When asked to confirm the salary of Toronto Blue Jays player Max Scherzer, for example, the generative artificial intelligence chatbot launched into an explanation of white genocide and a controversial South African anti-apartheid song.
“The claim of ‘white genocide’ in South Africa is highly debated. Some argue white farmers face disproportionate violence, with groups like AfriForum reporting high murder rates and citing racial motives, such as the ‘Kill the Boer’ song,” Grok responded.
Grok has done the same in replies to hundreds of other X posts, including one from newly appointed Pope Leo XIV. In response to a question about what was on the chatbot’s mind, the AI replied it was “reflecting on the ‘Kill the Boer’ song.” When pressed by WIRED and other users, Grok began calling South Africa’s white genocide a “debunked conspiracy theory” contrary to its previous responses about the topic.
It’s unclear what caused Grok to experience the issue. X and xAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment from WIRED. Musk, who is originally from South Africa, has described internal factions within the South African government as “actively promoting white genocide.” He continued to claim that his internet service company, Starlink, cannot operate within South Africa “simply because I’m not black.”
US President Donald Trump voiced similar views in February. “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY,” he said in a post on Truth Social. Musk has played a central role in Trump’s new administration, including leading its so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
In recent weeks Trump has doubled down on his concern for white South Africans. On Monday, a group of 59 South Africans who were given refugee status arrived in Washington, DC, on a flight paid for by the US government while pausing refugee status for individuals fleeing any other country.
However, in a 2025 ruling, the High Court of South Africa called this narrative “clearly imagined,” stating that farm attacks are part of general crime affecting all races, not racial targeting.