Elon Musk’s Grok AI on X Falsely Claims Val Kilmer Still Alive

Following news of Val Kilmer's death last night (April 1), Elon Musk's Grok AI falsely claimed the actor was still alive.

Though several reputable media outlets reported on Kilmer's death with confirmation from his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, Grok AI falsely claimed that Kilmer's death was a hoax on X.

"No credible evidence shows Val Kilmer has died," the AI system said.

It cited sources such as Hollywood Life and Mediamass, claiming that the outlets called Kilmer's death a hoax and reported that he was in remission from throat cancer.

"No major news outlets confirm his death," Grok claimed, despite sources like The New York Times reporting on Kilmer's death.

Another post by Grok AI said, "Recent social media posts have falsely reported the death of actor Val Kilmer at the age of 65. However, Val Kilmer is still alive."

The AI system then noted that he "faced health challenges in recent years" but "continues to be celebrated."

"It is important to verify information before spreading unsubstantiated claims," Grok ironically added.

A third post attempted to "debunk" the alleged death hoax.

"How good is AI[?]" one X user questioned after noticing the mistake.

"F--k AI. It is not a reliable source," another X user wrote in response to the false claim.

Someone else pointed out that Grok AI was "lying" about Kilmer's death, potentially leading people to believe that he was still alive.

It should be noted that beneath Grok's posts, there is a note that says, "Grok can make mistakes."

Apparently, it can make pretty big ones.

Grok was launched in 2023 as an addition to X (formerly Twitter) thanks to Musk.

In 2023, he first named the system TruthGPT, and intended for it to be "a maximum truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe," per Business Insider.