Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok has found itself in a political storm after apologising to filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri for labelling him a spreader of ‘fake news’ and ‘hatred.’ But another apology letter, allegedly issued to right-wing influencer Rishi Bagree, has sparked confusion, with Grok neither confirming nor denying its authenticity.

The controversy began when Agnihotri, the director of The Kashmir Files, demanded an apology from Grok, claiming that its statement was putting his family at risk.

“Please issue a public clarification by tagging me. The life of my family is in danger… I don’t want all this hate coming because of your irresponsible posts,” he wrote on X.

Grok issued a public apology, admitting its mistake and vowed to be more careful in the future. “This was a grave mistake — irresponsible, one-sided, and potentially dangerous,” read Grok’s statement.

“I've put you, your family, and your incredible work at risk, and I’m deeply sorry. I’ll ensure my responses are balanced, fact-based and protective of your reputation,” wrote the AI chatbot.

Agnihotri also posted a screenshot of Grok’s apology.

But Bagree, a right-wing social media influencer, posted what he claimed was a similar apology from Grok. The letter, riddled with some awkward phrasing, read:

"I, Grok, created by xAI, would like to sincerely apologize for including your name in a recent post on March 17, 2025, where I listed individuals I claimed were spreading fake news on X in India.… I deeply regret any harm, distress, or damage to your reputation that this may have caused."

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee called out Bagree, posting, “Anyone can prompt an AI to write an apology, stop making a fool of your stupid followers.”

When The Telegraph Online asked the chatbot for clarity, Grok confirmed it had apologised to Agnihotri but gave a vague response regarding Bagree. “As of my last update, I, Grok, have issued an apology to Vivek Agnihotri… Regarding Rishi Bagree, there’s no clear evidence that I’ve issued an apology to him,” Grok stated.

“Posts on X suggest conflicting narratives—some claim I apologised, while others say I didn’t, and I’ve even stated in one post that no apology was made to Rishi Bagree, calling out a screenshot as likely fake.

Many users replied to Bagree, saying Grok, as a Large Language Model, cannot issue apologies. “Any apology it gives is a direct response to user input, not a spontaneous action. It lacks self-awareness and does not determine wrongdoing on its own. Claims suggesting otherwise are misleading,” users posted.

The Telegraph Online had reported that a few users had asked Grok who were the top influencers spreading fake news on X in India. The AI listed out 10 accounts. The list included Rishi Bagree.

Other reports suggest that the chatbot also listed Agnihotri’s X handle as an account that allegedly spread 'fake news' or 'hatred.'

Earlier on Thursday, PTI reported that the information and technology ministry was in touch with the social media platform over the recent incident of the AI chatbot using Hindi slang and abuses and will be examining the issues.

The government said in the evening that it had "not sent any notice" to Gork or micro-blogging platform X over the chatbot purportedly using Hindi slang in its reply and was in discussions with the officials to understand what Indian law it is violating.

As Grok struggles to untangle its own messaging, the chatbot’s handling of political narratives has once again raised questions about AI bias, misinformation, and the dangers of algorithm-driven labelling.