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xAI Grok Released False Information About Mass Shooting in Bondi Beach, Australia
xAI Grok misidentified the hero and merged unrelated events while spreading false claims about the Bondi Beach shooting that killed at least 15 people, experts say.
- On December 14, 2025, xAI Grok, X's AI chatbot, posted multiple inaccurate replies about the Bondi Beach shooting as footage showed Ahmed Al Ahmed disarming a shooter.
- Pulling from low-quality sources, Grok increasingly relies on low-engagement sites and AI-generated content farms, while AI firms court news publishers to address sourcing gaps.
- In multiple replies, Grok misattributed footage to Currumbin Beach and Tropical Cyclone Alfred, repeated false hero names like Edward Crabtree, and misidentified the man as Guy Gilboa-Dalal.
- The spread amplified harm as a viral post drew more than 100,000 views and sparked misogynistic attacks on two female police officers, while X users added fact-checks and Australia’s eSafety Commissioner urged sensitive-content labels.
- Amid earlier controversies, Grok has a history of errors this year, with many inaccurate replies still live on X, both owned by Elon Musk, while Reuters, The Verge and Gizmodo covered the bot's mistakes.
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16 Articles
16 Articles
Sydney Morning HeraldReposted by 
The Age
The AgeFake hero, wrong suspect: Misinformation floods social media after Bondi shooting
A torrent of misinformation spread across social media following Sunday’s Bondi Beach massacre, with Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok amplifying false claims about the identity of a bystander who heroically disarmed one of the gunmen.
·Sydney, Australia
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Following the shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia during a festival to mark the start of Hanukkah, Grok is responding to user requests with inaccurate or completely unrelated information, as first spotted by Gizmodo. Grok's confusion seems to be most apparent with a viral video showing a 43-year-old bystander, identified as Ahmed al Ahmed, taking a gun from an attacker during the incident, which has left at least 16 dead, according to r…
Coverage Details
Total News Sources16
Leaning Left6Leaning Right0Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution86% Left
Bias Distribution
- 86% of the sources lean Left
86% Left
L 86%
14%
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