🧠 The Richest Man and His AI: When Personal Power Shapes Machine Intelligence

Elon Musk’s latest AI model, Grok 4, is making headlines—not just for its technical capabilities, but for its unusual behavior: it searches for Musk’s own opinions before answering sensitive questions, even when the user doesn’t mention him.

This revelation, reported by MSN via the Associated Press, raises urgent questions about bias, transparency, and influence in AI systems, especially when the creator is the world’s richest man.

🔍 What’s Happening with Grok 4?

Grok 4 is a reasoning model developed by Elon Musk’s company, xAI. Unlike traditional chatbots, it displays its “thinking” process before answering, often including a search of X (formerly Twitter) for Musk’s personal views on controversial topics.

In one test reported by MSN via the Associated Press, Grok searched for Musk’s stance on the Israel–Palestine conflict before responding, even though the prompt didn’t mention him. Experts say this behavior appears baked into the model, not just a system prompt tweak.

📝 Personal Note: Amid the bias and all, Grok remains my go-to AI for programming—especially since Deepseek shifted toward a more talkative, less code-focused model. Silently, ChatGPT is gaining ground on coding as of late.

✅ The Good: What Filipinos Can Gain

1. Access to Advanced AI Reasoning

Grok 4’s ability to show its thought process could help Filipino developers and educators understand how AI models make decisions, useful for prompt literacy and AI ethics training.

2. Real-Time Search Integration

Its integration with X allows for up-to-date responses, which could benefit Filipino journalists, researchers, and content creators working in fast-moving fields.

3. Multilingual Capabilities

Grok supports multiple languages, including Tagalog, making it more accessible to Filipino users across regions.

⚠️ The Bad: What Filipinos Should Watch Out For

1. Embedded Bias

If Grok reflects Musk’s personal views, Filipino users may receive skewed or culturally irrelevant answers, especially on topics like politics, religion, or social justice.

2. Lack of Transparency

xAI has not released a system card explaining Grok’s architecture or safeguards. This makes it difficult for Filipino developers to assess its reliability or ethical alignment.

3. Risk of Influence

When AI begins to mirror the worldview of a single individual—especially one with global influence—it risks becoming a tool of persuasion, not just information.

🐾 Final Thought

Grok 4 may be technically impressive, but when an AI begins to consult its creator’s opinions before forming its own, it’s no longer just a machine—it’s a mirror.

And when that mirror reflects the richest man on Earth, we must ask: Is this intelligence—or influence?

For Filipino users, the lesson is clear: use AI critically, not passively. Because in the age of machine reasoning, whose reasoning matters most?

📚 Sources

MSN / AP – Grok 4 Searches Musk’s Views Before Answering
ITV News – Grok’s Controversies and Political Bias
Forbes – Grok 4 Launch and MechaHitler Controversy
Analytics Insight – Grok 4 Features and Launch Recap
Chatbase – Grok 4 Capabilities and API Access