Elon Musk has launched Grokipedia, an AI-powered online encyclopedia that replaces Wikipedia’s volunteer editors with algorithmic control, promising to deliver “the whole truth and nothing but the truth” while already drawing criticism for potential ideological bias.
Announced Monday on X, the open-source platform uses Musk’s Grok AI to automatically generate, moderate and update content across more than 885,000 articles, marking a radical departure from traditional crowd-sourced knowledge curation.
“We will never be perfect, but we shall strive towards that goal,” Musk said, signaling a new phase in online knowledge curation aimed at reducing bias and increasing transparency.
How Grokipedia differs from Wikipedia
Grokipedia replaces Wikipedia’s crowd-sourced editorial system with synthetic knowledge generation via AI. Musk explained, “Grok generated about 1 million articles using a lot of compute.
You will be able to ask Grok to add, modify or delete articles and it will either take the action or tell you it won’t and why.
”This AI-centric control marks a radical shift where Grok AI makes the final decisions, rather than volunteer editors. The goal: “truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”
Launch hurdles and initial response
The Grokipedia launch was briefly delayed as Musk paused to “purge out the propaganda” before going live. The platform momentarily crashed due to high demand but quickly stabilized.
Currently, Grokipedia hosts over 885,000 articles less than Wikipedia’s massive database but its AI infrastructure allows near real-time updates. Users immediately noticed differences in content tone.
For example, Grokipedia’s article on George Floyd emphasized his criminal record, whereas Wikipedia’s focused on the circumstances of his death.
AI moderation and user involvement
Musk clarified that while users can suggest changes, Grok AI enforces editorial control:
“Transparency means you’ll know why your correction was rejected.” This method aims to eliminate human bias and delays in information updates. “The AI will either execute or explain,” Musk added, underscoring the platform’s commitment to accountability through algorithmic governance.
Criticisms and controversy
Despite Musk’s assertions, critics argue Grokipedia risks reflecting his ideology, including potential far-right biases. Wikipedia itself highlighted that Grokipedia’s entry on Musk omits the controversial 2025 hand gesture widely criticized as a Nazi salute, unlike Wikipedia’s article.
Observers warn that while Grokipedia aims to counter perceived left-wing bias on Wikipedia, it may not escape ideological slants.