Donald Trump spent hours asking Elon Musk’s AI chatbot about whether Venezuelans would celebrate if he captured leader Nicolas Maduro—then ordered the operation that seized the South American dictator weeks later.
When the president asked Grok how Venezuelans might react to Maduro’s capture, the chatbot predicted many would welcome the downfall of the “repressive” leader, an official said.
The president then ordered the mission to seize Maduro in January, prompting celebrations in the streets. Trump came away thinking Grok was ingenious, according to officials.
The decisiveness of the Venezuela operation emboldened the president to embark on his war with Iran. But the Venezuela strike has proved considerably messier than the chatbot’s prediction suggested.