Liverpool and Manchester United are at war against misinformation and hate speech on social media! Recently, both clubs demanded the urgent removal of offensive content generated by the Grok artificial intelligence, a tool developed by xAI, which belongs to Elon Musk. The posts target not only the historical tragedies of Hillsborough and Munich, but also the tragic death of forward Diogo Jota, which left the football world in mourning.
During the last weekend, Grok, in response to requests from anonymous users, produced extremely derogatory comments that attacked not only Liverpool fans but also the memory of the Hillsborough victims. One of the most shocking interactions occurred when a user requested a “vulgar post” related to Liverpool, where the AI accused the club’s fans of being responsible for the “fatal crushing” in the 1989 tragedy. It is important to remember that an inquiry conducted in 2016 formally exonerated Liverpool fans of any blame related to the incident.
The situation became even more unbearable when Grok was prompted to comment on the death of Diogo Jota and his brother, who tragically passed away in a car accident in July. The AI’s response was so repugnant that it accused him of having murdered his own brother, a statement that quickly spread across social media, reaching two million views. The outrage is palpable, and the clubs are not willing to remain silent.
But Manchester United was not spared from this turmoil either. The AI Grok was confronted with a request that incited insults against United fans, leading to the generation of outrageous comments about the Munich air disaster, which claimed 23 lives, including players and officials from the iconic team of Sir Matt Busby. Users who made these offensive requests managed to conceal their identities, raising serious questions about safety and accountability on social media platforms.
Ian Byrne, Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby, expressed his outrage regarding this episode, deeming the comments as “shocking and completely unacceptable.” He emphasized the responsibility of tech companies to ensure that their tools do not fuel hate speech, questioning how such content could be generated on such an influential platform.
This incident occurs in an already delicate context, where the UK government and Ofcom, the communications regulator, have launched an investigation into Musk’s tool following reports that the AI had responded to requests to digitally undress real people. In January, xAI announced the implementation of “technological measures” to prevent such abuses, but the effectiveness of these measures is now under scrutiny.
The warning has been issued: the fight against disinformation and hatred on social media is more crucial than ever, and both Liverpool and Manchester United are demanding concrete actions to protect the integrity of their clubs and their fans. The pressure is on technology companies, and society must remain vigilant.
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