JERUSALEM — US Ambassador Mike Huckabee has publicly called out X’s AI chatbot, Grok, after it falsely labeled a real meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "satirical deepfake." The incident marks a high-profile failure for the AI during a period of intense wartime misinformation.

The "Punch Card" Incident

• The Video: Netanyahu posted a clip meeting Huckabee to debunk viral rumors of his death. In it, he mocks the hoaxes by wiggling his fingers (addressing "six-finger" AI claims) and pulls out a "punch card," saying he "erased two names" today.
• The Targets: Those names refer to Ali Larijani (Iran’s Security Chief) and Gholamreza Soleimani (Basij Chief), both confirmed killed in Israeli strikes this week.
• The Glitch: When users asked Grok to verify the clip, the bot claimed the dialogue was "fabricated" and the video was AI-generated.
• The Fact-Check: Huckabee, who was physically in the room, fired back on X: "Sorry, Grok. You blew it... No AI on this at all!"

Why the Confusion?

The "Bibi death hoax" has been fueled by a week of manipulated media. However, while Grok initially failed the test, a second response from the bot correctly identified the footage as authentic, citing natural lighting and consistent "marble floor reflections."

The blunder highlights the ongoing struggle for real-time AI to distinguish between genuine political satire and actual diplomatic events during a hot conflict.