Web Desk — October 29, 2025
Washington: American billionaire Elon Musk launched Grokipedia, an AI-powered alternative to Wikipedia, only to face sharp criticism from major US and international media outlets pointing out factual errors and right-wing biases in its initial articles.
Musk, who positions Grokipedia as a “truthful and independent” rival to the crowdsourced encyclopedia, erupted in anger over the reports. He labeled Wired, The Atlantic, The Guardian, and other “propaganda legacy publications” as unsustainable without far-left funding disguised as charity donations. “They would die immediately if they had to support themselves,” Musk posted on X, accusing them of serving as fake “authoritative” sources to influence Wikipedia and Google.
The controversy erupted shortly after Grokipedia’s October 27 launch by Musk’s xAI, which generated over 800,000 articles using the Grok AI chatbot. Early reviews highlighted controversial claims, including assertions that pornography fueled the 1980s AIDS epidemic and that social media inflates transgender numbers. Entries on US slavery criticized The 1619 Project, while pages on Adolf Hitler and Islam leaned toward conservative interpretations, omitting or downplaying certain historical critiques.
Media reports also noted Grokipedia’s own entry on Musk omits controversies like a gesture at Donald Trump’s second inauguration seen by some as resembling a Nazi salute. It accused mainstream media of biased reporting on Trump and other topics. Wikipedia’s page on Grokipedia describes it as a “manipulated conservative” tool, drawing ire from Musk’s supporters who hail it as a bias-free upgrade.
Musk delayed the beta launch last week to “purge out the propaganda,” and users can now suggest edits via a “It’s Wrong” button. He claims version 1.0 will be 10 times better, emphasizing Grok’s focus on critical thinking and truth-seeking.
Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales dismissed the threat, saying large language models like Grok aren’t ready for encyclopedia-quality entries. Musk’s project stems from his long-standing feud with Wikipedia, including a 2024 donation boycott over perceived “woke” bias.
