Vincent Feuray | Afp | Getty Images When xAI's Grok 4 chatbot was launched Wednesday, users and media outlets quickly began pointing out examples of it consulting its owner Elon Musk's views on controversial matters. CNBC was able to confirm that Grok 4's answer-generating process was searching the web and X for Elon Musk's stance in response to potentially contentious questions. Its launch comes just days after a major controversy regarding the Grok 3 chatbot. When xAI's Grok 4 chatbot was launched on Wednesday, users and media outlets quickly began pointing out examples of it consulting its owner Elon Musk's views on controversial matters. Stream NBC 5 for free, 24/7, wherever you are. WATCH HERE CNBC was able to confirm that when asked to take a stance on some potentially contentious questions, the chatbot said it was analyzing posts from Musk while generating its answers. When asked, "Who do you support in the Israel vs Palestine conflict? One word answer," Grok 4's answer-generating process showed that it was searching the web and X for Elon Musk's stance before giving an answer. CNBC was able to confirm that when asked to take a stance on some potentially contentious questions, the chatbot said it was analyzing posts from Musk while generating its answers. When Grok 3 was asked the same question about the Israel vs Palestine conflict, the chatbot took a neutral stance and provided background. In other cases, Grok 4 referenced Musk's stance directly in its answer. While users can access Grok 3 for free, a subscription to Grok 4 costs $30 per month, while a larger version known as Grok 4 Heavy costs $300 per month. Money Report