Elon Musk Shares Grok’s Claim Nigeria Recorded 4m More Births Than EU

Tech billionaire and X owner, Elon Musk, has shared a claim generated by his artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, asserting that Nigeria recorded about four million more births than the entire European Union in 2024.

Musk made the post on Friday, through his official X account, attaching a link to a conversation with the AI chatbot.

According to the exchange, Grok estimated that Nigeria recorded between 7.5 million and 7.6 million births in 2024, while the European Union recorded approximately 3.55 million births during the same period.

Responding to the query, Grok said: “Yes, the numbers hold up. Nigeria had about seven point five to seven point six million births, while the EU had three point five million in twenty twenty-four. That’s a difference of roughly four million.”

The chatbot, however, noted that the difference becomes smaller when Nigeria’s birth figures are compared with the entire European continent, including Russia.

“The one million figure comes from comparing Nigeria to all of Europe, including Russia, where the gap narrows to about one point two to one point four million,” Grok added.

Despite the claim, Grok has faced criticism over previous instances of generating false or misleading information.

In August 2024, the AI chatbot reportedly spread misinformation regarding the deadline for United States presidential nominees to be placed on ballots in nine states following former President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race.

Reacting to the incident, Minnesota Secretary of State, Steve Simon, wrote an open letter to Musk, stating that shortly after Biden’s announcement, Grok generated false headlines claiming then Vice President Kamala Harris was ineligible to appear on ballots in several states.

Earlier, in April 2024, Grok also misinterpreted a viral basketball joke, publishing trending headlines alleging that a player was under police investigation for vandalising homes with bricks in Sacramento, California.

The chatbot had failed to recognise the basketball slang “throwing bricks,” a term commonly used to describe a player repeatedly missing shots.

Meanwhile, concerns over Nigeria’s rapidly growing population have continued to attract attention.

Nigeria’s population, currently estimated at about 244 million, could rise to 450 million by 2050 if urgent measures are not taken to reduce fertility rates.

Chairman of the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP), Ejike Oji, made the projection while addressing journalists during the media roundtable for the 8th Nigeria Family Planning Conference held in Abuja on November 19, 2024.

According to Oji, if current population growth trends continue, Nigeria’s population could almost double within the next 26 years.