X updated its settings so that user data can automatically be scrapped by xAI to train Grok
Many AI companies run into the pervasive data issue. Free data on the internet is running out to train AI models. AI bot-makers like OpenAI, Google $GOOGL, and Microsoft $MSFT have found themselves in the crosshairs of newspapers, authors, and visual artists for using their content to train their artificial intelligence tools.
Elon Musk, who owns an AI startup (xAI) that makes a chatbot called Grok, has the benefit of also owning a treasure trove of data: the social media site X $TWTR (formerly Twitter). X changed its user settings so that their posts are automatically shared with xAI to train Grok.
“To continuously improve your experience, we may utilize your X posts as well as your user interactions, inputs and results with Grok for training and fine-tuning purposes,” the notice in X’s settings reads. “This also means that your interactions, inputs, and results may also be shared with our service provider xAI for these purposes.”
The move has already caught the attention of a European privacy watchdog, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), which told TechCrunch Friday that it was “surprised” by the development.
The startup xAI launched last year and recently raised $6 billion from investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and Saudi Arabian investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. The funding round in May pushed the company’s valuation to $24 billion — higher than the previously expected $18 billion. The company counts AI talent from DeepMind, OpenAI, Google Research, Microsoft Research, and other companies among its employees.
Musk has positioned Grok, which also debuted in 2023, as a ChatGPT rival he hopes will be used to deliver Americans news. Musk has said the chatbot has “a bit of wit” and “a rebellious streak.” But the chatbot has had issues. For example, it wrongly stated that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris was shot on July 14 rather than former President Donald Trump.
Musk recently polled X users to see whether they think his EV company Tesla $TSLA — which just reported sinking profits in a disappointing quarterly earnings report — should invest $5 billion in Grok’s maker xAI. Nearly 70% of about 960,000 respondents said yes.
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