this post was submitted on 10 Nov 2023
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Science Fiction

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‘Grok’: From 1960s Sci-Fi to Elon Musk’s New AI (www.msn.com)
submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Last weekend, Elon Musk announced that his artificial-intelligence startup, xAI, was launching a chatbot with “a bit of wit” and “a rebellious streak,” known as Grok. As Musk explained, Grok is modeled on the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a snarky manual for interstellar travelers that the humorist Douglas Adams concocted for his classic 1979 novel of the same name.

The origins of the chatbot’s name, however, lie in an entirely different work of science fiction. “Grok,” a verb meaning “to understand deeply or intuitively,” was coined by Robert Heinlein for his 1961 novel “Stranger in a Strange Land.” In Heinlein’s tale, a human born and raised on Mars is brought to Earth as an adult and displays psychic powers.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Wow... there's nothing about this that isn't offensive and horrifying... O.o

[–] Piecemakers3Dprints 1 points 1 year ago

So, he's purposely discrediting the term so he can continue to play the gibbering backbirth in defense? That tracks.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I wish the Heinlein Foundation could prevent this. At least he didn't call it Mycroft.

[–] bramkaandorp 1 points 1 year ago

Apparently, there is already an AI called Mycroft.

I shouldn't be surprised, yet I am.