Fox New anchor John Roberts was forced to prove that he is still alive and kicking after Elon Musk’s chatbot erroneously claimed he is dead.

The issue began after Roberts, who co-anchors America Reports, posted a video of himself shredding on the guitar Friday.

‘Something we wish we all had more of… And I’m not talking about guitar playing,’ he wrote.

But soon after, Grok declared in a ‘conversation’ note that Roberts had died – days before he made the post.

‘John Roberts, the musician mentioned, recently passed away on February 3, 2025, which might add a layer of poignancy to this post showcasing his guitar playing,’ the AI claimed.

It added that the video ‘might be of interest to fans of his music or those following his career, especially considering his collaborations with Tony Barrand and his involvement with groups like Ye Mariners All and the Broken Strings Band.’

Roberts seemed startled when he saw the AI’s declaration.

‘Oh my … either Grok’s algorithm needs a little tweak… or I’m in trouble,’ he wrote on Monday, before appearing on-air to prove he is alive.

Fox New anchor John Roberts was forced to prove that he is still alive and kicking after Elon Musk ‘s chatbot erroneously claimed he is dead

Grok declared in a ‘conversation’ note that Roberts had died – days before he posted the video of himself playing guitar

Roberts seemed startled when he saw the AI’s declaration

The confusion appears to have originated after another guitarist by the name of John Roberts passed away in Schenectady, New York on February 3.

A Wikipedia entry for the late English musician notes that he is best known for his collaborations with Tony Barrand, with whom he would a capella and accompanied performances of English folk music.

He also had a solo career and was a member of the trio Ye Mariners All, and performed more recently with his partner Lisa Preston, who shared on Facebook that he  ‘succumbed to complications from congestive heart failure and esophageal cancer.’

But this is not the first time Grok has come under fire, with experts previously warning that it is unleashing a ‘torrent of misinformation’ through its image generation tool.

The image tool seemed to have few limits on what it can generate – lacking guardrails which have become industry standard among rivals such as ChatGPT, which rejects prompts for images depicting real-world violence and explicit content for example.

Grok, by contrast, has allowed the creation of degrading and offensive images, often depicting politicians or celebrities or religious figures in the nude or carrying out violent acts.

The chatbot also does not appear to refuse to generate images of copyrighted characters, with many images of cartoon and comic book characters taking part in nefarious or illegal activities also being posted.

Daniel Card, fellow of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, said the issue of misinformation and disinformation on X was a ‘societal crisis’ because of its potential impact.

It is not the first time Musk’s Grok has come under fire, with experts previously warning that it is unleashing a ‘torrent of misinformation’ through its image generation tool

‘Grok may have some guardrails but it’s unleashing a torrent of misinformation, copyright chaos and explicit deepfakes,’ he said.

‘This isn’t just a defense issue – it’s a societal crisis. Information warfare has become a greater threat than cyber attacks, infiltrating our daily lives and warping global perceptions.

‘These challenges demand bold, modern solutions. By the time regulators step in, disinformation has already reached millions, spreading at a pace we’re simply not prepared for.

‘In the US, distorted views of countries like the UK are spreading, fueled by exaggerated reports of danger. We’re at a critical juncture in navigating truth in the AI era.

‘Our current strategies are falling short. As we move into a digital-physical hybrid world, this threat could become society’s greatest challenge. We must act now – authorities, governments and tech leaders need to step up.’