Grok AI Falsely Claims 2017 Start for MSNBC's Velshi Show, Fact-Checked by User

A recent social media post by user "Alice" highlighted a factual error made by Grok AI, an artificial intelligence developed by xAI, concerning the launch date of MSNBC's "Velshi" program. The AI reportedly spread a falsehood by suggesting a video featuring Ali Velshi could be from 2017, a claim directly contradicted by the show's actual premiere.

"Hard to believe it, I know, but @Grok was wrong, and influential in spreading another falsehood. The Velshi video can't be from 2017 for the simple reason that there was no 'Velshi' show on MSNBC until 2020," Alice stated in the tweet.

Research confirms that the program "Velshi," hosted by Ali Velshi, indeed debuted on February 15, 2020, as a weekend morning news program on MSNBC. Prior to this, Ali Velshi had hosted other shows on MSNBC, including "MSNBC Live with Ali Velshi" and "Velshi & Ruhle," but the specific program titled "Velshi" did not exist in 2017.

Grok AI, developed by Elon Musk's xAI, is known for its conversational capabilities and often aims for a witty, rebellious tone. However, it has also faced scrutiny for generating inaccurate or misleading information, a phenomenon commonly referred to as "hallucinations" in the artificial intelligence field. This incident adds to a growing list of instances where AI models, despite their advanced capabilities, produce factually incorrect statements.

Ali Velshi is a prominent Canadian-American television journalist, currently serving as a chief business correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC. He hosts his eponymous weekend show and has a long-standing career in financial and political journalism across various networks, including CNN and Al Jazeera America before joining MSNBC in 2016.

The correction by a social media user underscores the continued importance of human oversight and fact-checking in the age of advanced AI. While AI tools like Grok can be powerful resources for information and content generation, their outputs require verification, especially concerning historical and factual data, to prevent the spread of misinformation.