Elon Musk has taken another significant step in his self-declared war on “mainstream media” with the launch of Grokipedia. This new online encyclopedia uses artificial intelligence to generate content that aligns with Musk’s right-wing political views.
The platform is a direct competitor to Wikipedia, which Musk has relentlessly attacked for citing reporting from outlets like the New York Times and NPR. Musk aims to replace these sources with his own ecosystem, including X (formerly Twitter) and now Grokipedia.
Grokipedia’s operational model is the opposite of Wikipedia’s. It has no human authors or volunteer editors. Instead, Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, is responsible for both writing and “fact-checking” all information, a process critics say lacks transparency and accountability.
The results of this AI-driven approach are already clear. The encyclopedia’s entries hew closely to conservative narratives. For example, its article on the January 6 Capitol riot gives credence to the false claim of “widespread claims of voting irregularities.”
The platform’s reliability is also being questioned, as journalists have found entries containing false information, such as a link between pornography and the Aids epidemic. Musk’s launch follows his temporary 2025 service in the Trump administration and a poll naming him America’s most disliked public figure.