{
  "id": 11281783,
  "title": "Musk’s AI chatbot Grok reportedly encouraged Trump to capture Venezuela’s president",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/musks-ai-chatbot-grok-reportedly-encouraged-trump-to-capture",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-01T21:08:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechCrunch",
    "slug": "techcrunch",
    "url": "https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/01/musks-ai-chatbot-grok-reportedly-encouraged-trump-to-capture-venezuelas-president/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In December 2025, prior to the U.S. invasion of Venezuela, former President Trump met secretly with Elon Musk to discuss his AI chatbot, Grok. This meeting occurred about seven months after Musk had left his position in the Trump administration at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). During their discussion, Trump inquired about Grok's predictions regarding the potential reactions of Venezuelans to the capture of their president, Nicolás Maduro, according to a source cited by Time magazine. Notably, Grok had advised Trump that Maduro was a \"deeply unpopular dictator\" and many Venezuelans would likely celebrate his removal. This prediction proved accurate when the U.S. invaded Venezuela on January 3, 2026.\n\nFollowing the invasion, Trump reportedly considered Grok's insights to be \"ingenious.\" The Pentagon's head of AI subsequently revealed that the military had utilized Grok to coordinate strikes during the Iran War, which took place in June of 2026. Although Grok is not the only AI model employed by the Department of Defense (DoD), it has gained significant attention under the current administration. In a recent announcement, the Pentagon revealed that Musk and Anduril's Palmer Luckey have been selected to co-lead a study examining the use of advanced technologies on modern battlefields.",
  "summary": "President Trump reportedly asked for Grok's opinion before invading Venezuela and capturing Nicolás Maduro.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}