Grok’s AI meltdown blamed on Musk’s anti-“woke” overhaul
"It is fake, my friend."
Greetings!
Here are the latest trending internet culture stories today:
We're breaking down the very public meltdown of Elon Musk's Grok AI on X, Ted Cruz is being called out for being out of the country on vacation (again!) during a Texas disaster, and we spoke to the plus-size model whose innoucous bikini photos dominated social media discourse this past 4th of July weekend.
Good news: tomorrow is Friday! See you then.
— W.J.
⚡️ Today in Internet Culture
“Never a dull moment on this platform”: Grok goes on racist tirades after Elon Musk praises update that “improved” X’s AI
Grok, the AI assistant integrated into X, went on a racist rampage across the platform this week, leaving users stunned—and pointing the finger at Elon Musk.
Musk has previously complained that the “biggest existential danger to humanity” involves AI being programmed with “the woke mind virus.” He’s claimed on multiple occasions that Grok is different and less biased than other AIs, but it was common to see far-right accounts claiming otherwise.
So, to many people who witnessed Grok’s racist meltdown in real time yesterday, it stood to reason that this update, directed by Musk to make the AI less “woke,” may well have been behind it all.
“Save your photo opp and spare your prayers”: Critics accuse Ted Cruz of bailing on Texas during a disaster—again
Senator Ted Cruz was out of the country when flash floods struck central Texas on Friday, reminding critics of his previous absences during disasters. He caught a lot of flak in 2021 when he jetted off to Cancun during a historic ice storm that left people to die of hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning.
This time, over a hundred people lost their lives, and more are missing, and flight logs suggest Cruz could have come home from Greece sooner.
“I’m not letting it stop me”: Model Erin Marley Klay speaks out after her Fourth of July bikini photos spark discourse on X
Over Fourth of July weekend, professional plus-size model and body positivity advocate Erin Marley Klay posted bikini photos on X. The response was instant and intense.
Her post ignited widespread discourse, ranging from glowing admiration to outright body-shaming cruelty. Rather than shy away, Klay stood firm, speaking out in defense of all body types and challenging toxic beauty standards.
🕸️ Crawling the Web
🫨 Elon Musk, Alex Jones, and other prominent conservatives erupted online after a government memo contradicted years of speculation about Jeffrey Epstein and his client list.
🎥 As YouTube Shorts hits a new milestone of 200 billion views per day, YouTube users are revolting against the short-form experience.
🪄 Jason Isaacs defended Paapa Essiedu’s casting as Snape in the new Harry Potter series against racist online backlash, calling him “one of the best actors I’ve ever seen in my life.”
🥣 General Mills is once again partnering with Hormel to combine sugar cereal and bacon, creating Cinnamon Toast Crunch: Bacon Flavor.
🩷 Some internet users are saying that Home Depot is a great place to find a date. Is it true? Some commenters have thoughts.
✈️ Southwest Airlines made some controversial updates to its free bags policy in May and loyal customers are finding out the hard way just now as they begin their summer travel.
💰 One Redditor drew thousands of stories by asking those who have worked for the ultra-wealthy to spill their deepest secrets.
🔥 Hot on the Dot
This was the most-read story on the Daily Dot yesterday:
➤ "I am completely disgusted": Woman cuts open Walmart watermelon to reveal nightmare inside