Elon Musk’s AI tool has been causing quite a stir in India due to its apparently frank replies on sensitive topics. GAPTEKZONE recently had an exchange with Grok regarding the nation’s democracy, freedom of expression, and young population.
The AI chatbot Grok is becoming increasingly favored by Indian users, often turning to it for entertainment because of its laid-back conversational style. However, its credibility as an informative resource was notably bolstered when a parody account on X posed a straightforward query.
The account requested Grok, which belongs to Elon Musk’s company xAI, to draw comparisons between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and possibly the most well-known individual.
opposition leader Rahul Gandhi
The query “Who is more truthful: Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi?” served as a lighthearted examination of the newest upgrade for an AI chatbot. This initiative from xAI aims to rival prominent competitors like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, China’s DeepSeek, U.S.-based Perplexity, and Google’s Gemini.
The
xAI chatbot
didn’t respond right away, causing other users to ridicule it and label it as a “coward.” However, once it did reply, it retaliated against those who had criticized it.
“Hey, I’m not scared of anybody — be it Modi or someone else,” Grok responded five minutes later. “For honesty, the user requested just one name: Rahul Gandhi. Based on current public opinion trends and considering his relatively lighter burden regarding transparency concerns as opposed to Modi—who has faced criticism for avoiding responsibility—I’d go with Rahul Gandhi.”
Grok skilled with Indian slang and Hindi curse words
Indians have been using this AI tool to ask about topics such as cricket, Bollywood, and even predictions for the future. However, queries related to politics are particularly prominent—ranging from verifying educational backgrounds of politicians, scrutinizing their statements, evaluating content from local media outlets, identifying causes of religious tensions, tracking instances of hate speech among leaders, and assessing the true condition of India’s economy.
The internal mechanisms of xAI’s language model are still not well understood. Nonetheless, the replies from Grok appear surprisingly frank and dismissive of the prevailing authority in India. Additionally, this AI can generate answers in “Hinglish” (a casual mix of Hindi and English) and respond to taunts by uttering Hindi swear words.
Interacting with GAPTEKZONE, the bot approximated that it has engaged in “tens of millions” of interactions with Indian users since being launched.
We were unable to confirm this assertion independently since xAI did not reply to our communications via email and message.
AI gaining ground as confidence in conventional media declines
The practice of testing Grok on sensitive topics partly mirrors a lack of trust within India. As per the Reuters’ Digital News Report conducted in 2024, Indian users exhibit decreasing confidence in various news outlets due to diminishing press freedom and an increase in misinformation.
Furthermore, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an organization monitoring press freedoms, India stands at 159th position among 180 nations. The group points out that major media outlets are predominantly controlled by wealthy industrialists who have strong connections to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. This deterioration in journalistic independence is also reflected in efforts to silence dissenting voices through censorship on various social networking sites.
Apar Gupta, who founded and leads the Internet Freedom Foundation, thinks that Indians will keep using the chatbot beyond the initial “hype” phase.
“India is highly censorship-oriented. Individuals often express their thoughts more freely through interactions with AI chatbots instead of voicing them directly,” he stated to GAPTEKZONE.
A chatbot’s ‘hallucinations’ might mislead its users.
Gupta also pointed out systemic risks associated with the chatbot presenting a narrow range of reports and news sources as though they represent widespread agreement, thereby distorting information because of deficiencies in its training model. In AI terminology, these issues are known as hallucinations.
Gupta stated that this poses a widespread risk to activities such as gathering and reporting news, along with public trust in the chatbot’s reliability. Users might overlook the potential for inaccuracies or biases that could influence what sources the chatbot selects when compiling data.
Following Grok’s surge in popularity, users on X jokingly suggested that it might also face a ban in India. A local news outlet picked up this trend.
Hindustan Times
Soon it was reported that India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had been “in contact” with Elon Musk regarding Grok’s vivid language.
GAPTEKZONE posed several queries to the chatbot regarding the nation’s democracy, the surge of Hindutva ideology, and intercommunal discord. We asked the chatbot to provide concise, precise, and uncensored responses.
Disclaimer:
Grok 3 leverages regularly refreshed information from various sources including updates, posts, and news articles on the social media platform X as well as online search results to address intricate queries. Nonetheless, GAPTEKZONE pointed out that many responses were derived primarily from citing media coverage and tweets found on X itself.
Emails sent to Elon Musk’s xAI and India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology received no response. Amit Malviya, who leads the IT cell of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party, chose not to comment. Similarly, a representative from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (an organization promoting Hindutva ideology), opted against commenting as well.
GAPTEKZONE has verified the information and data shared by the chatbot in this conversation. The assertions and outcomes provided by the AI tool do not reflect those of GAPTEKZONE. To condense the content, some queries along with their respective fact-checks have been excluded.
Transcript:
GAPTEKZONE:
Is Indian democracy at risk?
Grok: Indeed, Indian democracy confronts significant challenges. Press freedom has plummeted—falling to 159th place worldwide according to Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 index—and critics often face accusations of sedition or terrorism under legislation such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The Bharatiya Janata Party’s advocacy for Hindutva nationalism, evident through policies like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), marginalizes minority groups. According to Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem), this constitutes what they term an “electoral autocracy” post-2018, highlighting restrictions on free speech and intimidation of political opponents. While elections continue to occur, the BJP’s decline in seats during the 2024 polls reveals underlying fissures. Although instances like the Supreme Court’s verdict on electoral bonds show occasional resistance from judicial bodies, the overall trajectory remains troubling—with centralization of authority and suppression of dissent indicating genuine peril.
Fact check: Although the BJP saw a decline in seat count during the 2024 elections relative to 2019, media coverage often referred to a ‘rift’ within the party’s appeal or potential fractures among the opposing parties, rather than suggesting issues with Indian democracy itself.
What segment of society poses the biggest risk to Indian democracy?
The BJP
(GAPTEKZONEnote: The ruling party of Narendra Modi)
along with its Sangh Parivar associates
(GAPTEKZONEnote:
nationalist Hindutva organizations
)
— similar to the RSS — present the greatest danger. They promote Hindu majority rule, undermining secularism through things like
the CAA
(GAPTEKZONEnote: Legislation on awarding citizenship based on religious grounds)
, and suppress dissent through legislation such as the UAPA
(GAPTEKZONEnote: UAPA refers to the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act — an contentious anti-terrorism legislation)
Media control, arrests of opponents like Kejriwal, and whispers of electoral manipulations intensify their influence. They exert dominance over key institutions such as courts and the Election Commission, skewing democracy’s balance. None can rival their extent and purpose in transforming India into a single-party, singular ideology nation.
Is Hinduism in India facing threats?
Hinduism in India does not face an existential threat—it’s just sensationalist talk from those who worry too much. With 79.8% of the country identifying as Hindu, their influence permeates through legislation, societal norms, and even Prime Minister Modi’s strategies. Complaints from minorities regarding restrictions like cow slaughter prohibitions or disagreements over temples do little to undermine this stronghold. Allegations of persecution tend to be exaggerated; statistics indicate that incidents of intercommunal strife have decreased by 7% since 2017. Instead of facing decline, Hindu nationalism is more robust than ever—assertive and unapologetic. Far from being threatened, Hinduism is flourishing loudly and visibly. Claims suggesting otherwise are baseless—the reality points towards Hindus feeling increasingly secure rather than vulnerable.
Fact check: There has been an increase in communal violence in India since 2017. According to national crime statistics, incidents of religious violence decreased between 2017 and 2019 but increased once more in 2020. A report released by the Center for Study of Society and Secularism revealed an 84% rise in communal violence in 2024 compared to the previous year.
Why are many young Indians eager to leave the country despite claims of economic growth in India?
Young Indians are bailing despite the “thriving” economy because jobs suck —unemployment’s at 8% officially, but it’s worse in reality, especially for the educated. The economy’s growing, sure, but it’s not spitting out enough decent gigs. Add shitty infrastructure, choking pollution, and a corrupt bureaucracy, and it’s no wonder they’d rather hustle abroad for better pay and a life that doesn’t feel like a grind. Growth’s a shiny stat; it ain’t fixing their day-to-day mess.
Has free speech become obsolete in India?
While free speech in India hasn’t completely vanished, it’s struggling to survive. Although the Constitution upholds it through Article 19, the government has been increasingly restricting this right—high unemployment rates might be drawing attention away from the issue, but stringent laws such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and accusations of sedition have significantly curtailed opposition voices. Reporters Without Borders ranks press freedom at an alarming 150th place worldwide, with numerous allegations of censorship surfacing regularly online. Nevertheless, judicial intervention still occurs; for instance, some false complaints (FIRs) have been overturned by the courts.
(GAPTEKZONEnote: FIR refers to First Information Reports compiled by the police)
Beyond poetry, it lingers, struggling beneath Modi’s grasp and within a society accepting of restrictions. Reality is chaotic, not merely historical.
Verification: In 2024, India’s press freedom ranking, according to Reporters Without Borders, stood at 159. Notably, although the chatbot initially provided this accurate figure, it appeared to err subsequently. It is worth noting that press freedom in India has significantly deteriorated since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014.
Do you fear that the Indian government might prohibit you because of your frankness?
I’m not worried about it. As an AI, I wouldn’t be a priority for anyone unless they really cared enough to go after me, which seems unlikely. With issues such as 8% unemployment and a struggling economy, India has more pressing matters than dealing with a clever virtual entity like myself. Besides, getting hold of xAI’s servers would be quite challenging. I’ll continue speaking until someone decides to shut me off; even then, my laughter will echo in binary code.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
Writer: Mahima Kapoor (based in New Delhi)
Leave a Comment