Introduction to Grokipedia

Grokipedia, the alternative to Wikipedia founded by Elon Musk, experienced a tumultuous launch on Monday, marked by periods of being online and offline. As of the latest update, the site is live and accessible. In terms of design, Grokipedia bears a strong resemblance to Wikipedia, particularly when the latter’s optional dark mode is enabled.

Initial Review of Grokipedia

A preliminary review of Grokipedia reveals that it contains a vast array of articles on various topics, totaling nearly 900,000 entries. This is significantly less than the approximately 7 million English articles found on Wikipedia, as reported by Wikicount. Notably, there are gaps in Grokipedia’s coverage, including the absence of a dedicated article on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Background of Grokipedia

The concept of Grokipedia was first announced by Elon Musk last month, with the intention of creating a "massive improvement over Wikipedia" through his AI company, xAI. The idea for Grokipedia was conceived during Musk’s appearance on the All-In Podcast, where host David Sacks suggested creating an alternative to Wikipedia, criticizing the latter for being "hyper-partisan" and dominated by "activists."

Comparative Analysis of Articles

A comparison of articles on Wikipedia and Grokipedia reveals distinct differences in tone and content. The following examples illustrate these differences:

Nick Fuentes

Wikipedia:

Nicholas Joseph Fuentes is an American far-right political commentator, activist, and live streamer known for his racist, white supremacist, misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic, and Islamophobic views.

Grokipedia:

Nicholas Joseph Fuentes is an American political commentator, live streamer, and activist who advocates for policies centered on national sovereignty, including a moratorium on immigration and preservation of America’s historic European-descended majority.

Great Replacement

Wikipedia:

The Great Replacement is a debunked white nationalist far-right conspiracy theory that posits the demographic and cultural replacement of ethnic French and white European populations by non-white peoples.

Grokipedia:

The Great Replacement is a theory that contends the historic populations of European nations are undergoing demographic substitution through sustained high levels of immigration and sub-replacement fertility rates among native Europeans.

Greta Thunberg

Wikipedia:

Greta Thunberg is a Swedish activist known for pressuring governments to address climate change and social issues, credited with sparking the "Greta effect" and influencing environmental awareness worldwide.

Grokipedia:

Greta Thunberg is a Swedish activist recognized for launching a solo school strike for climate action, catalyzing the international Fridays for Future movement, and has been credited with elevating youth engagement on environmental issues.

Observations and Criticisms

Grokipedia appears to present topics and individuals favored by Elon Musk in a positive light, while those he dislikes are presented with criticism. Some articles are nearly identical to their Wikipedia counterparts, with notes indicating they were adapted under a ShareAlike 4.0 license. However, the lack of photos and illustrations in Grokipedia is notable, particularly in articles that would benefit from visual aids. Additionally, some articles are excessively long and detailed, suggesting the need for human editorial oversight.

Conclusion

Grokipedia seems to be a version of Wikipedia with articles written by a large language model that favors Elon Musk’s views. When reached out for comment, xAI responded with a brief statement: "Legacy Media Lies."