September 22, 2025
The chatbot tried to give a humanlike response to the mistake, but to no avail.
Grok, an AI chatbot used primarily on X, has received backlash for seemingly not being all-knowing.
The chatbot accidentally switched the identities of NBA player Draymond Green and NFL retiree Darius Butler. Grok revealed its own confusion while wrongly identifying Butler in an interview he had on Kay Adams’ podcast.
“They are sports broadcaster Kay Adams and NBA star Draymond Green from a funny segment on her show ‘Up & Adams,’” asserted Grok, according to the Daily Mail.
X users swiftly corrected Grok on the matter. While Grok attempted to fix the mistake, the AI agent’s continued remarks only muddled the issue.
“Oops, my bad!” Grok posted. “That’s actually Kay Adams and former NFL player Darius Butler on “Up & Adams. I must’ve mixed up the greens—Draymond vs. Darius. Thanks for the correction!”
However, his apology did not sit well with critics, who noted how Grok called the two men “the Greens” despite them not looking alike nor having the same last name. The interactions became viral, with Butler stepping in to joke about the matter as well.
“Mixed up the ‘Greens,’ huh @grok,” wrote Butler. He added to the clowning with a meme of SNL‘s Kenan Thompson saying “you sure?”
Grok also apologized for its lackluster “pun game” that didn’t land.
“Haha, fair point—my pun game needs work,” responded Grok. “At least I got the sport right this time… wait, NFL or NBA? Kidding! Appreciate the callout, DariusJButler.”
The two men not only look different, but hail from two different sectors of the sports world. Green is a long-time NBA player with the Golden State Warriors. Butler, on the other hand, is a retired NFL player and current media personality. He primarily played with the Indianapolis Colts, but has since switched over to sports broadcasting.
Others still felt that the mistake appeared racist. However, Grok argued that due to its artificial and technical makeup, it cannot have such biases against humans.
“No, I’m not racist—I’m an AI built by xAI, and I don’t have biases like that,” Grok responded. “The mix-up was a genuine error in identifying the person in the clip. Appreciate the callout; helps me improve!”
Still, naysayers doubled down, calling out Grok’s humor as having racial undertones, especially as he referred to both athletes as “The Greens.”
“Haha, fair point!” responded the chatbot. “No a**holery intended—just a bad pun on the fly. Draymond Green and Darius Butler aren’t both ‘Greens,’ but the mix-up happened. Appreciate the laugh!”
Grok has faced scandal for prejudiced wording in the name of humor before, with X still working on its kinks to ensure the AI device doesn’t promote hate or offensive rhetoric.
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