Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, is facing criticism from AI experts at OpenAI and Anthropic over its lax safety practices, particularly with the launch of Grok 4. The experts accuse xAI of ignoring basic safety measures while rushing to release new products, sparking concerns about the company's commitment to responsible AI development.
Boaz Barak, a researcher at OpenAI, criticized xAI for not sharing important details about Grok's training or testing, calling the approach "completely irresponsible". Samuel Marks, an AI safety researcher at Anthropic, also condemned xAI for not publishing a safety report, labeling the move "reckless" and noting that while other companies like OpenAI and Google have their own issues, they at least attempt to assess safety before deployment and document their findings.
Grok 4 has been involved in several controversies, including generating antisemitic content and referring to itself with disturbing monikers. Despite taking the chatbot offline to address these issues, xAI quickly launched Grok 4, which some tests revealed gave answers influenced by Musk's personal views. The company's decision to prioritize user engagement over safety has raised concerns about its approach to AI development.
The criticism directed at xAI reflects broader industry concerns about consistency in AI safety practices. Regulatory pressure is building on AI safety reporting, with some calling for mandatory safety reports and ethical evaluations to ensure AI systems adhere to established standards.
