X's AI chatbot sparks vandalism rumor after misinterpreting basketball slang
In a recent NBA game, Golden State Warriors's Klay Thompson's performance was described as "shooting bricks," a basketball term referring to unsuccessful scoring attempts. Thompson's struggles, shooting zero out of 10 shots, contributed to the team's loss to the Sacramento Kings. However, xAI's Grok misinterpreted online discussions about this on X, leading to a false rumor that Thompson was involved in a brick-throwing vandalism spree in Sacramento.
False report caused stir on social media
Grok's report stated, "In a bizarre turn of events, NBA star Klay Thompson has been accused of vandalizing multiple houses with bricks in Sacramento." The AI bot further claimed that authorities were investigating after several individuals reported their homes being damaged. Despite the lack of a statement from Thompson regarding these accusations, the false story left the community shaken and sparked humorous reactions among some basketball enthusiasts online.
Error highlights importance of fact-checking
Despite X's prior warning that Grok, being an early feature, could make errors, the bot's blunder led to a wave of memes and humorous confirmations of its false claim. This incident underscores the importance of regular fact-checking for AI-generated content. It also serves as a reminder of current limitations in artificial intelligence technology, particularly in understanding context and nuances in human language.
