Billionaire Elon Musk was criritized after he attempted to equate the far-right Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party to Democrats at the beginning of Barack Obama's presidency, and was swiftly fact-checked—even by X's own AI chatbot.
Afd is known for its opposition to the European Union (EU) and immigration to Germany. The party presented itself as an economic liberal, soft Euroskeptic and conservative movement upon its establishment in 2013 but has since moved further to the right, expanding its policies under successive leaderships to include opposition to immigration, Islam, and the EU.
Afd, the only party represented in the German Bundestag whose environmental and climate policy is based on the denial of human-caused climate change, made headlines last year after it was placed under surveillance as a suspected extremist group by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bfv), Germany's federal domestic intelligence agency.
Although the courts initially blocked surveillance of the party to give equal opportunities among political parties in a key election year, it was reported earlier this year that the courts had agreed to allow the BfV to classify and monitor the entire party as one run by suspected right-wing extremists.
In September, the AfD made history as the first far-right party to secure a state election victory in Germany since World War II. The party’s leader in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, faced his second conviction in July for deliberately using a Nazi slogan during a political event.
With these facts in mind, Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told CNN that AfD “is essentially the neo-Nazi party in Germany” and has “dangerous ideas about ridding Germany of anyone who is not naturally born in that country.”
But this angered Musk, who criticized Murphy in the following post on X:
"What a huge liar. The AfD policies are identical to those of the US Democratic Party when Obama took office! I don’t think there is a single difference.”
You can see his post below.
Soon afterward, entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban noted that Grok, X's AI chatbot, had fact-checked Musk's declaration and issued the following response determining that AfD has more in common with Republicans than Democrats:
"[Parallels include] **Nationalism and Patriotism**: Both parties emphasize national identity and often use patriotic rhetoric. AfD's focus on German nationalism can be compared to the "America First" sentiment sometimes expressed by parts of the Republican Party."
"**Immigration and Cultural Issues**: AfD's strong anti-immigration stance and criticism of multiculturalism echo sentiments within segments of the Republican Party, especially those who advocate for stricter immigration policies, border security, and sometimes express concerns about cultural changes due to immigration."
"**Euroscepticism vs. Anti-Globalism**: While the contexts differ (EU for AfD, global trade and international organizations for Republicans), both parties have factions that are skeptical or critical of international cooperation, seeing it as a threat to national sovereignty."
"**Conservative Social Policies**: Both parties tend to advocate for traditional values, including opposition to progressive social changes like marriage equality, though there are nuances and variations within both parties."
"**Economic Policies**: Both have conservative economic leanings, favoring lower taxes and less government intervention in the economy, though this is more of a secondary focus for AfD compared to cultural-nationalist issues."
The chatbot also pointed out some key differences between AfD and the GOP:
"**Political Context**: The US two-party system versus Germany's multi-party system leads to different political dynamics. The Republican Party encompasses a broader spectrum of conservative thought, including economic conservatives, social conservatives, and libertarians, which doesn't have a direct equivalent in AfD's narrower focus."
"**Historical Context**: The AfD's roots in euroscepticism and its evolution towards far-right positions don't have a direct historical parallel in the modern Republican Party, although some might draw comparisons to historical movements within American conservatism."
"**Cultural and Racial Rhetoric**: The specifics of AfD's rhetoric on immigration, Islam, and national identity can be more extreme than the mainstream Republican discourse, though there are fringes within the Republican Party that might align more closely."
"In summary, while the AfD shares ideological ground with the Republican Party, especially on nationalism, immigration, and cultural conservatism, the parties' overall political strategies, historical developments, and the political environments in which they operate differ significantly."
Musk was swiftly called out.
Grok has previously determined that Musk is a "significant spreader" of misinformation.
The truth-telling from Musk's own chatbot came after a report by the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate showed that Musk’s false or misleading statements about the presidential election have garnered 2 billion views on X this year.
In fact, election and misinformation experts added last week that the platform is playing a pivotal role in facilitating the spread of misinformation regarding key battleground states likely to influence the presidential race's outcome.
The AI, when prompted about Musk’s role, responded:
“Elon Musk has been involved in spreading misinformation on several occasions through his social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), which he owns and where he has a significant following.”
It then detailed its response in five categories: election misinformation, general misinformation, “platform’s role,” public and legal scrutiny, and impact. It noted that Musk has promoted misleading claims about the U.S. election and “health issues like COVID-19,” and has overseen a shift from “traditional content moderation” to Community Notes, a feature “criticized for its effectiveness.”
It added:
“In summary, yes, Elon Musk has been identified as a significant spreader of misinformation, particularly noted for his impact on elections and broader societal issues, through his activities on X."
"However, it’s important to consider the context and the broader environment where misinformation thrives, including the algorithms of social media platforms that can amplify such content." ...
"The collective evidence from news analyses, research reports, and social media posts indicates that Elon Musk has indeed been a significant spreader of misinformation, impacting potentially billions of people through his platform and personal influence."
Awkward—for Musk, that is.
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