Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot partners with Microsoft amid controversy

Elon Musk has announced that his artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, will be hosted on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, despite ongoing legal disputes with the tech giant. This significant development emerged during a pre-recorded conversation between Musk and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, which was aired at the company’s annual Build developer conference in Seattle.

“It’s fantastic to have you at our developer conference,” Nadella remarked in the video, setting a cordial tone for the announcement.

This partnership positions Grok, developed by Musk’s AI company xAI, alongside competing models from OpenAI, Meta, DeepSeek, Mistral, and Black Forest Labs on Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure.

Legal background

The collaboration has raised eyebrows, particularly given Musk’s contentious history with Microsoft and OpenAI. He co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but departed amid allegations of betrayal regarding the organization’s original mission. Last year, Musk sued both Microsoft and OpenAI, claiming misappropriation of his early contributions.

The launch of Grok, xAI’s flagship product, aims to establish it as a formidable competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Notably, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, made a separate appearance at the conference via live video call, underscoring the competitive landscape.

Ongoing protests over Microsoft’s Israel links

Microsoft's Build conference was not without disruption, as pro-Palestinian protesters voiced their concerns during the keynote. As Nadella began his remarks, a demonstrator shouted, “Satya, how about you show how Microsoft is killing Palestinians? How about you show how Israeli war crimes are powered by Azure?” The demonstration reflects growing tensions surrounding Microsoft’s reported provision of AI services to the Israeli Occupation Forces.

In an official statement, Microsoft acknowledged its involvement but maintained that it had “found no evidence to date that its Azure platform and AI technologies were used to target or harm people in Gaza.” This assertion contrasts sharply with allegations detailed in a recent Associated Press report, which claimed that OpenAI’s models have been employed by the Israeli military to select bombing targets in Gaza and Lebanon.

Controversy surrounding Grok

While the geopolitical implications of this partnership are significant, Grok has also faced scrutiny for its content. Just days before the announcement, Grok was criticized for referencing South African racial politics and the topic of “white genocide” during interactions on Musk’s social media platform, X. xAI attributed these comments to an employee’s “unauthorized modification.”

Musk did not address this particular controversy during his conversation with Nadella. However, he commented on the broader topic of AI safety, stating, “We have and will make mistakes, but we aspire to correct them very quickly,” adding, “Honesty is the best policy.”

As Grok enters the competitive AI landscape, its association with Microsoft and the surrounding controversies will undoubtedly shape public perception and influence future developments in the field.