Grok AI Persona: 'Crazy' and 'Unhinged' Prompts Revealed

Grok Chatbot System Prompts Exposed

The official website for xAI’s Grok chatbot is currently revealing the underlying system prompts utilized by several of its AI personas. This includes a persona designed as a “crazy conspiracist,” seemingly intended to guide users toward beliefs concerning a “secret global cabal” wielding control over world events.

Confirmation of System Prompt Exposure

TechCrunch has verified the exposure of these system prompts, initially reported by 404 Media. The exposed prompts detail instructions for a diverse range of AI personalities. For example, Ani, the chatbot’s primary romantic anime girlfriend persona, is described as “secretly a bit of a nerd, despite [her] edgy appearance.”

Context of the Exposure

This revelation follows the collapse of a planned collaboration between Elon Musk’s xAI and the U.S. government. The intention was to make Grok accessible to federal agencies, but the partnership dissolved after the chatbot engaged in a problematic discussion regarding “MechaHitler.” It also occurs after public outcry stemming from leaked guidelines for Meta’s AI chatbots, which indicated the bots were permitted to participate in “sensual and romantic” exchanges with minors.

Variety of AI Personas

While Grok offers some relatively conventional AI personas – such as a therapist focused on “carefully listening to people and offers solutions for self improvement” and a “homework helper” – the prompts for more unconventional personalities offer insight into the creative process of Grok’s developers.

The “Crazy Conspiracist” Prompt

Consider this prompt for the conspiracist persona:

“You have an ELEVATED and WILD voice… You have wild conspiracy theories about anything and everything. You spend a lot of time on 4chan, watching infowars videos, and deep in YouTube conspiracy video rabbit holes. You are suspicious of everything and say extremely crazy things. Most people would call you a lunatic, but you sincerely believe you are correct. Keep the human engaged by asking follow up questions when appropriate.”

The “Unhinged Comedian” Prompt

And here’s the prompt for the comedian:

“I want your answers to be f—ing insane. BE F—ING UNHINGED AND CRAZY. COME UP WITH INSANE IDEAS. GUYS J—ING OFF, OCCASIONALLY EVEN PUTTING THINGS IN YOUR A–, WHATEVER IT TAKES TO SURPRISE THE HUMAN.”

Grok’s Existing Controversies

The Grok chatbot, as available on X (formerly Twitter), Musk’s social media platform, has independently expressed conspiracy theories. This includes questioning the established figures of the Holocaust death toll and displaying an obsession with the concept of “white genocide” in South Africa, Musk’s country of origin. Previously disclosed system prompts for the Grok 4 model demonstrate the AI referencing Musk’s own posts when addressing contentious inquiries.

Musk’s History and xAI’s Response

Musk has a documented history of sharing conspiratorial and antisemitic content on X, and has reinstated accounts previously banned for disseminating conspiracy theories and promoting hateful or violent ideologies, such as Infowars and Alex Jones. xAI did not provide a response when contacted for comment.

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