AI-generated Encyclopedia Grokipedia Referenced in OpenAI’s ChatGPT Responses
Recent reports have surfaced indicating that some responses generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT have cited information from Grokipedia, an AI-generated encyclopedia developed by rival xAI, founded by Elon Musk. The citations were observed in a limited set of queries, as initially reported by The Guardian.
Grokipedia was launched in October by xAI as an alternative to Wikipedia, aiming to provide a less biased approach to information dissemination. Unlike Wikipedia, which relies on human moderation, Grokipedia is entirely AI-powered, enabling rapid growth in its article base. Recent estimates suggest that Grokipedia has surpassed 6 million articles, encompassing nearly 80% of English Wikipedia’s content.
According to The Guardian, ChatGPT referenced Grokipedia nine times in responses to specific user queries during testing. Interestingly, the citations were not prevalent in discussions on well-known topics but rather surfaced in responses related to obscure historical or biographical details. This selective usage indicates a nuanced approach to incorporating Grokipedia’s information into ChatGPT’s responses.
Implications Beyond ChatGPT
Aside from ChatGPT, Grokipedia references were also noticed in responses generated by Anthropic’s AI assistant Claude, underscoring a broader trend in how large language models leverage publicly available data sources. This phenomenon raises questions about the algorithms’ ability to discern and evaluate diverse information inputs.
In response to queries on the matter, OpenAI emphasized that ChatGPT aims to draw from a wide range of sources and viewpoints while implementing safety measures to mitigate potential risks associated with harmful content. The platform transparently indicates the sources that informed a response through citations, ensuring accountability and clarity for users.
While OpenAI provided a statement addressing their sourcing practices, Anthropic chose not to comment on the issue. xAI, on the other hand, dismissed concerns raised by legacy media outlets with a brief statement asserting that “Legacy media lies.”