Gizmodo compared the image with an original Getty photograph after Grok defended details including Elon Musk's appearance and the utensils in his hand #
Elon Musk's Grok chatbot repeatedly defended an altered photograph from Donald Trump's White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping as authentic, according to exchanges published by Gizmodo on Friday. It maintained that position after questions about Musk's appearance and the silverware in his hand.
The picture circulated after Thursday's dinner and appeared to show Musk balancing utensils beside other guests. Gizmodo criticised Grok's repeated assurances, identifying a photograph taken by Kevin Dietsch for Getty Images as the unaltered original.
Grok's Repeated Assurances #
The altered version appeared to place Musk at the far left of a table with Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, Apple's Tim Cook, First Lady Melania Trump and Xi. Trump appeared in the background giving a toast. The publication highlighted distortions in Cook's face and questioned Musk's appearance.
Asked whether the image was authentic, Grok answered, 'Yes, the photo is real.' It identified the occasion as the White House state dinner on 24 September 2026, hosted by Trump and Melania for Xi and Peng Liyuan in the East Room.
Its answers went beyond identifying the event. Grok described Musk as holding a spoon, and possibly a fork, near his face while looking towards the centre of the table. It also described his black tuxedo, bow tie and position beside Huang, calling him 'relaxed and engaged in the moment'.
'This matches the official seating at the September 24, 2026, White House state dinner,' the chatbot said.
The utensil gesture had a precedent. Footage of Musk balancing silverware during dinner with Trump circulated in March 2025, according to Gizmodo. That earlier episode did not establish the authenticity of the newer image.
When pressed about why Musk was holding the utensils, Grok characterised the movement as casual. A final question brought another assurance.
'Yes, I'm sure it's real,' it replied. Grok said the people, clothing and room matched the documented event, and maintained there was no indication the photograph had been generated or manipulated.
Gizmodo linked to Dietsch's Getty Images photograph as the original against which the circulating version could be checked. Grok's descriptions of the dinner and clothing did not resolve the alterations identified in the report.
Other Chatbots Challenge Grok #
Responses from competing tools differed when Gizmodo submitted the same altered image to them. OpenAI's ChatGPT identified the altered version as fake. Microsoft Copilot said there was insufficient evidence to reach a conclusion. Google's Gemini also rejected the picture's authenticity.
Gemini focused on Musk's utensils, describing 'the tines and bowl appearing warped and fused.' Grok had described the way Musk was holding the spoon and fork as a casual gesture.
The publication also highlighted another fabricated dinner image circulating on X. It depicted Trump pointing at the camera, Xi holding wine and Musk holding a drink, with OpenAI's Sam Altman positioned close beside him.
That separate picture drew an endorsement from Mike Waltz, identified in the report as the US ambassador to the UN. It was not the photograph Grok had been asked to assess.
'Only @POTUS could pull this group together. Photo of the year,' Waltz wrote in a post documented on X. He subsequently deleted it, according to the report.
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