Grok declines to identify Elon Musk after X post on Epstein Files
A post on social media platform X referring to the Epstein files has triggered online debate after the platform’s AI chatbot Grok declined to identify Elon Musk in an image shared by a user.
The post was published by an X user with the handle @fiftyshadesofwhey, who shared an image allegedly from the Epstein files and claimed that Jeffrey Epstein had taken a photograph at a dinner in 2015 attended by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The user posted that Epstein took the photograph and forwarded it to himself.
The user then asked Grok to identify Elon Musk from the image. Grok responded saying it couldn't confirm Musk's presence in the photograph and that it had investigated reports on the Epstein files from sites such as the New York Post and the BBC. While a 2015 meal was mentioned in email records, there was no verifiable photograph of Musk attending the event. Grok also said that Musk had denied attending the meal or having close ties with Epstein, and that it was unable to directly verify the referenced document owing to access restrictions, suggesting users to examine official Department of Justice documents.
After the user circled a man in the image who appeared to resemble Musk and reposted it questioning the chatbot. Grok maintained its position saying that a visual assessment did not support identifying Musk in the image. It said the image showed a group of men seated at a dinner table and that one individual on the right appeared to be Mark Zuckerberg. Citing reports from the San Francisco Chronicle, New York Post, and NBC, Grok said that although some emails claimed Musk had attended the dinner, he had denied it and there was no confirmation that he appeared in the photograph.
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Top US counterterrorism official resigns over Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat
Washington (AP): Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration's war in Iran.
Kent said on social media Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
There was no immediate comment from the White House.
Kent, a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists, was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote.
As head of the National Counterterrorism Centre, he was in charge of an agency tasked with analysing and detecting terrorist threats.
Before entering President Donald Trump's administration, Kent ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state. He also served in the military, seeing 11 deployments as a Green Beret, followed by work at the CIA.
Democrats strongly opposed Kent's confirmation, pointing to his past ties to far-right figures and conspiracy theories. During his 2022 congressional campaign, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right military group the Proud Boys, for consulting work. He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from a variety of far-right figures.
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Kent also refused to distance himself from a conspiracy theory that federal agents instigated the January 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, as well as false claims that Trump, a Republican, won the 2020 election over Democrat Joe Biden.
Democrats grilled Kent on his participation in a group chat on Signal that was used by Trump's national security team to discuss sensitive military plans.
Still, Republicans praised Kent's counterterrorism qualifications, pointing to his military and intelligence experience.
Sen. Tom Cotton, the GOP chair of the intelligence committee, said in a floor speech that Kent had "dedicated his career to fighting terrorism and keeping Americans safe.”
