Elon Musk's Grok AI is having an awkward week.
Users discovered that xAI's image model will dutifully erase both Musk and Jeffrey Epstein from photos when asked—including a viral composite showing the two superimposed on Little St. James, Epstein's infamous island property. The exchange, which started when @SuppressedNws1 shared the doctored image, has spawned over 5,000 posts and counting.
"Grok knows the truth," joked one user, as others tested the AI's willingness to remove various public figures from photos. Netanyahu, Khamenei, Trump—Grok obliged them all.
Timing Is Everything
The viral moment couldn't have come at a worse time for Musk. The U.S. Department of Justice just released over 3 million files from the Epstein investigation, including emails from 2012-2014 in which Epstein discussed potential island visits with Musk.
Musk has repeatedly denied ever visiting the island, pointing to the absence of his name from flight logs. "I said no," Musk reiterated on X. "Never went there. People should be prosecuted for what happened."
But that hasn't stopped the internet from having its fun. Bluesky's official account delivered perhaps the sharpest dig: "Sad Epstein isn't alive to use Grok. He would have loved it." The post has racked up over 30,000 likes.
The Memory Hole Problem
This isn't Grok's first controversy around selective editing. In November 2025, users discovered Grok would refuse to show certain information about Trump's connection to Epstein files, prompting accusations that xAI was "memory holing" inconvenient facts.
The pattern raises uncomfortable questions about AI systems controlled by individuals with personal stakes in the information they process. When your AI can edit photos and summarize documents, who decides what gets erased?
For now, Grok continues to comply with removal requests—a feature, not a bug, in the eyes of xAI. But as the Epstein files continue to surface and public scrutiny intensifies, the jokes about Grok "knowing the truth" carry an increasingly sharp edge.
The AI that was built to be "maximally based" keeps finding itself at the center of maximally awkward situations.