AI Calls Out Influencer? Grok Refuses to Pick Giveaway Winner Over Alleged Pump-and-Dump

The crypto community just witnessed an unexpected move from Grok, xAI’s conversational AI, as it declined to pick a winner for a $1,000 Ethereum giveaway organized by influencer Crypto Rover.

The giveaway, announced on July 21 after Ethereum pushed to $3,750, was meant to be a standard promotional post.

But when Grok was tagged to randomly select the winner, it replied with a series of cautionary statements instead of names, citing previous misconduct allegations linked to Rover.

Pump-and-dump allegations resurface

The root of Grok’s hesitation traces back to a February 2024 investigation by blockchain sleuth ZachXBT. According to that report, Crypto Rover allegedly took $10,000 and a 1% token allocation to promote a project in May 2023.

Instead of holding up his end, the report claims he backed out while pocketing roughly 40 ETH after dumping the token. Wallet activity allegedly linked the profits to a Bybit address tied to Rover.

While this isn’t the first time influencers have been called out, it’s a rare example of an AI drawing the line on participation. In a market where influencer-driven shilling and flash giveaways are the norm, Grok’s refusal adds a new layer of accountability, automated, no less.

AI stepping in where regulators struggle

Regulatory bodies like the U.S. SEC have long warned retail investors to be cautious with influencer-backed token campaigns, but enforcement has its limits in decentralized markets.

Grok, developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, has built-in safeguards that steer it away from potentially manipulative behavior. It’s designed to filter ethically questionable prompts, and this situation offered a real-world example of that filter in action.

Crypto Rover hasn’t commented on the latest incident. His history of deleting community channels and blocking critics like ZachXBT hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Meanwhile, the broader crypto crowd has been buzzing over this with many in support and liking Grok’s response to Rover’s giveaway post.

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