Wikipedia is on the defensive after Elon Musk accused the go-to online reference site of political bias and launched a competing version, called Grokipedia.
The Tesla owner's new site, named after Grok, his artificial intelligence bot that responds to queries on X, claims more than 885,000 articles. It is a fraction of Wikipedia's total of about seven million, but a large number for a website that was launched on October 27.
In late September, US President Donald Trump's AI and crypto adviser David Sacks accused Wikipedia of political bias. A day later, Mr Musk announced he was building Grokipedia. He promised it would “be a massive improvement over Wikipedia”, which he has referred to as “wokepedia”.
In highlighting what he described as left-wing biases on Wikipedia, Mr Musk shared a social media post comparing how Grokipedia and Wikipedia described murdered right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk. Mr Musk took issue with the fact that the Wikipedia entry described Mr Kirk as a “far-right” activist and conspiracy theorist.
Since its founding in 2001, Wikipedia has grown into one of the internet's most recognisable brands. It is known for being able to be edited by just about anyone and has “thousands of volunteers around the world”.
“Volunteers will discuss, debate and often disagree until a shared consensus can be reached on what content to include on Wikipedia,” a post on Wikipedia's non-profit Wikimedia Foundation page reads.
Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger has warned that Grokipedia could threaten Wikipedia’s relevance unless the company that he left in 2002 undergoes reform. Mr Sanger left Wikipedia shortly after its launch. Critics of his recent comments point out that he made them on a highly partisan podcast hosted by right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Wikipedia's other co-founder, Jimmy Wales, called Mr Musk's bias claims false and defended Wikipedia's overall style and process.
“What we’re looking for is kind and thoughtful people who care more about getting it right and being calm and factual,” he said.
Despite the launch of Grokipedia, Wikipedia's success in making information freely available is largely unrivalled.
“Since 2001, Wikipedia has been the backbone of knowledge on the internet,” a Wikimedia Foundation representative told The National. “Wikipedia's strengths are clear. It has transparent policies, rigorous volunteer oversight and a strong culture of continuous improvement.”
Although Mr Musk supporters have embraced Grokipedia, critics say there are reasons to be sceptical. The Grok AI that apparently helps power the site has drawn controversy. In July, it answered user prompts with comments deemed so offensive that a court in Turkey temporarily blocked access.
It also provided anti-Semitic answers to some prompts and praised Adolf Hitler. Mr Musk blamed a technical glitch for the problems, but the entrepreneur's far-right political leanings led many to be question his explanations.
After Mr Trump won the presidential election last year, the xAI and Tesla chief gave an apparent Nazi salute to supporters during an inauguration day event. Following his purchase of Twitter in late 2022, he also fired many of the workers responsible for moderating content and flagging hate-speech.
A recent study conducted by researchers at the Berkeley, Los Angeles and Southern California branches of the University of California found that hate speech and spam bots using hate speech have increased since Mr Musk bought Twitter.
Unlike Wikipedia, which routinely documents who edits articles and provides edit history, Grokipedia provides no such insights.
It is also not clear how Grokipedia's articles came into existence, though many speculate xAI's Grok chatbot is used in part. It is also possible that Grokipedia uses content from Wikipedia.
“We're still in the process of understanding how Grokipedia works,” a Wikimedia representative said. “This human-created knowledge is what AI companies rely on to generate content – even Grokipedia needs Wikipedia to exist.”
Wikipedia's influence and search engine-optimised success has yet to be dented by various challengers, including by some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley.
“Even Google, which noticed how often Wikipedia showed up in its search results, tried at one point to launch a competitor,” wrote Mathew Ingram, a blogger, reporter and former digital writer for the Columbia Journalism Review.
“It was supposed to aggregate crowdsourced knowledge from experts and regular Google users, but it was barely even alive in the world before it suddenly vanished without a trace,” he added, referring to Knol, Alphabet-owned Google's attempt to challenge Wikipedia.
Mr Ingram described Wikipedia as one of the best creations to emerge from the internet, adding that he believes it is “a shining example of everything the internet was supposed to do”.
It remains to be seen if Grokipedia will go on to engender similar feelings – but Mr Musk is not showing sign of backing down from his latest endeavour.
Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
DUBAI CARNIVAL RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner Dubai Future, Harry Bentley (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm UAE 1000 Guineas Listed $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner Dubai Love, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
7.40pm Dubai Dash Listed $175,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner: Equilateral, James Doyle, Charles Hills.
8.15pm Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions $100,000 (D) 1.900m
Winner Laser Show, Kevin Stott, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Al Fahidi Fort Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Glorious Journey, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner George Villiers, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
The%20Little%20Mermaid%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rob%20Marshall%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHalle%20Bailey%2C%20Jonah%20Hauer-King%2C%20Melissa%20McCarthy%2C%20Javier%20Bardem%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Draw
Quarter-finals
Real Madrid (ESP) or Manchester City (ENG) v Juventus (ITA) or Lyon (FRA)
RB Leipzig (GER) v Atletico Madrid (ESP)
Barcelona (ESP) or Napoli (ITA) v Bayern Munich (GER) or Chelsea (ENG)
Atalanta (ITA) v Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Ties to be played August 12-15 in Lisbon
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mozn%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammed%20Alhussein%2C%20Khaled%20Al%20Ghoneim%2C%20Abdullah%20Alsaeed%20and%20Malik%20Alyousef%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Riyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Shorooq%20Partners%2C%20VentureSouq%2C%20Sukna%20Ventures%20and%20others%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
