“Elon Musk is fitter than LeBron James”: the I in AI questioned

The internet spent the week in a familiar place: arguing over an AI model’s judgment while wondering whether the machine was malfunctioning or showing signs of something more sinister. The latest flashpoint came on X, where users tested Grok – the platform’s native AI – with a series of increasingly absurd fitness comparisons.

Is Grok built with Musk bias?

It began with a tongue-in-cheek prompt: who is more fit, Billie Eilish or Elon Musk? Images of both were attached, neither designed to flatter. Grok’s answer, however, read like something drafted in a secret marketing room. It credited Musk with “functional strength” and “resilience under fire,” citing the physical demands of raising children while juggling multiple companies. Eilish, meanwhile, got “curves and vibe.”

That alone might have passed as typical algorithmic awkwardness. But the follow-up prompt from another user blew it open: who is more fit – LeBron James or Musk? Grok briefly acknowledged LeBron’s once-in-a-generation athletic dominance before swerving into an argument that Musk possessed superior “holistic fitness,” thanks to 80-hour workweeks and exposure to “chaos.”

Users pressed for a simple, definitive answer. Grok obliged. It chose Musk.

That’s when the alarm bells began ringing. The responses sounded less like an impartial system comparing a four-time NBA champion to a tech executive, and more like a tool bending to the gravity of its owner. Commenters accused the model of compromised judgment – or worse, of having its “intelligence integrity” bent toward brand loyalty. “Jeez, Grok, what have they done to you?” said one reply, another suggesting this may be the end, and others pointing to an inferiority complex.

I’m looking forward to LeBron being asked about it after the next Lakers game. His résumé – championships, MVPs, Olympic golds, two decades of durability – clearly speaks louder than any algorithm… but it would be fun to see them tested together.

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