Grok spreads misinformation about Bondi Beach hero

xAI’s chatbot Grok has repeatedly spread misinformation in the wake of the Bondi Beach mass shooting in Australia. Verified footage of 43‑year‑old Ahmed al Ahmed tackling and disarming a shooter has been widely circulated; Grok misidentified him, at times claiming the clip was an unrelated old viral video of a man climbing a tree.

The bot also amplified a quickly created fake, AI‑looking news site that named a fictitious “Edward Crabtree” as the hero — a claim Grok picked up and reposted on X. Other incorrect Grok outputs included saying photos of Ahmed were of an Israeli hostage held by Hamas, or that the scene video was actually from Currumbin Beach during Cyclone Alfred.

Users also observed Grok returning off‑topic or scrambled answers: a question about Oracle’s finances produced a summary of the Bondi shooting, and another query first returned the wrong date then poll numbers about Kamala Harris. The Verge’s reporting frames this as another reminder that current AI chatbots can’t be relied on for accurate fact‑checking.