Elon Musk has launched a new AI-driven site called Grokipedia, billed as a rival to Wikipedia, but queer advocates say it’s spreading hate, not knowledge. Musk, once a Trump confidant, released version 0.1 of the site this week. Within hours, users flagged multiple pages filled with far-right and anti-LGBTQ+ disinformation, including false claims about trans people and HIV.
Pages on Transgender and Transgender Health Care echo debunked theories like rapid-onset gender dysphoria and deny gender diversity beyond strict biological definitions. The Stonewall Riots entry downplays LGBTQ+ resistance while emphasizing the mafia’s control of gay bars. Another page, HIV/AIDS skepticism, falsely suggests HIV may not cause AIDS — a dangerous echo of denialist propaganda.
Though Musk called Grokipedia a “massive improvement over Wikipedia,” many entries appear copied directly from Wikipedia — except where edits insert political bias or rewrite history. A Wikimedia Foundation spokesperson told The Verge, “Wikipedia’s knowledge is – and always will be – human…Through open collaboration and consensus, people from all backgrounds build a neutral, living record of human understanding… even Grokipedia needs Wikipedia to exist.” For queer readers, Grokipedia looks less like innovation — and more like revisionism.
