If you’re a user of X (formerly Twitter), you may have noticed an increased presence of artificial intelligence (AI) in recent weeks.
The development couldn’t have come at a worse time for Klay Thompson, who missed all 10 of his field goal attempts in the Golden State Warriors’ season-ending loss to the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night.
With X’s AI feature still a work progress, the social media app confused Thompson’s brick-filled shooting performance with the five-time All-Star throwing actual bricks. As noted by (presumably) real-life users across the app, X’s AI-powered trending topics tab accused Thompson of going on a “Bizarre Brick-Vandalism Spree.”
“In a bizarre turn of events, NBA star Klay Thompson has been accused of vandalizing multiple houses with bricks in Sacramento. Authorities are investigating the claims after several individuals reported their houses being damaged, with windows shattered by bricks,” the trending post reads. “Klay Thompson has not yet issued a statement regarding the accusations. The incidents have left the community shaken, but no injuries were reported. The motive behind the alleged vandalism remains unclear.”
The AI-generated headline was apparently fueled by this viral post from a Los Angeles Lakers fan account:
https://twitter.com/LakeShowYo/status/1780452033121702267
Obviously, Thompson didn’t go on an actual brick-vandalism spree on Tuesday night — although it may have felt like he did for Warriors fans. The post also notes that X’s AI bot, known as “Grok,” is “an early feature and can make mistakes,” while encouraging users to “verify its outputs.”
This isn’t the only time that X’s AI feature has published inaccurate headlines, with recent posts including falsehoods about NASCAR, professional wrestling and even OJ Simpson’s death. Thompson also wasn’t the only Warriors player to catch a stray from Grok following Tuesday’s loss, as the AI bot “celebrated” Chris Paul being “three years sober” from his addiction to the NBA Finals.
[X]
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.