American right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on September 10 while speaking at a political event at Utah Valley University in Orem. The incident occurred at 12:23 p.m. local time. A single bullet fired from a 30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle struck Kirk in the neck from a distance of 142 meters, hitting him during a discussion with university students about firearms. He was pronounced dead at Timpanogos Regional Hospital after unsuccessful lifesaving attempts.
The assassination of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk has underscored that artificial intelligence (AI) systems remain ill-prepared to handle urgent and sensitive news. Several platforms misled social media users, spreading false or distorted information about Kirk’s killer.
Grok, owned by Elon Musk’s xAI, emerged as one of the main sources of misinformation after the shooting, issuing a series of false claims ranging from denying Kirk’s death to falsely accusing innocent people.
When asked about Kirk’s condition, Grok posted:
“Charlie Kirk laughs loudly. He’s faced tougher crowds before. Yes, he’ll survive this one easily.”
Later, when users said Kirk had been “shot in the neck,” the bot dismissed the video as an “edited meme,” insisting it was not real.
In another case, Grok falsely accused Michael Mallinson, a 77-year-old Canadian retiree, of being the shooter, citing supposed confirmation from CNN, Fox News, and The New York Times. The claim originated from a fake...
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