Elon Musk on Wednesday announced that his AI company xAI has released the first beta version of Grok 4.20, the latest iteration of its chatbot. Musk suggested that the upgraded chatbot could be used for medical-related opinions, highlighting what he described as major improvements in capability.
According to Musk, the new version is designed to be “an order of magnitude smarter and faster” than the standard Grok 4, and introduces what he called a “rapid learning” architecture. In a another promotional post on X, Musk compared Grok with other leading AI chatbots by sharing responses to the question, “Is the US on stolen land?”
“Grok 4.20 is BASED. The only AI that doesn't equivocate when asked if America is on stolen land. The others are weak sauce,” Musk wrote, taking aim at rival chatbots including OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude.
Grok 4.20 is BASED.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 17, 2026
The only AI that doesn't equivocate when asked if America is on stolen land.
The others are weak sauce. pic.twitter.com/KEz4MPy2YB
In the image, Grok is shown rejecting the framing of the United States as being“on stolen land,” while ChatGPT is shown affirming the claim, and both Gemini and Claude describe the issue as contested and subject to differing historical and legal interpretations.
However, the Tesla chief is facing backlash over the post. His post comes at a time when Anthropic recently released Claude 4.6 Sonnet. The comparison triggered a wave of reactions online, with several users questioning the intent behind Musk's claims and what Grok was actually trying to demonstrate. One user commented that “Grok 4.20 is basically Grok with Elon opinions.”
Grok 4.20 basically grok with Elon opinions pic.twitter.com/vKsRNmOFGK
— MK (@ImjusMK) February 18, 2026
Another user shared a response generated by Claude, stating that any claim made by Elon Musk without verifiable proof should be viewed as self-promotion rather than an objective comparison.
I confirmed with Claude regarding the claim; the response is as follows,
— InfiwandBestBuy (@azath_5000) February 18, 2026
Don't let a billionaire's tweet define which AI thinks better. pic.twitter.com/jM30Wu5Y7N
“Sorry, but Claude Opus 4.6 has the best, most factual and balanced response… Grok's response sounds like a US Redditor who wants to pick a fight with me,” wrote another user.
Sorry, but Claude Opus 4.6 has the best, most factual and balanced response...
— Ghost Train (@GhostTrainNFTs) February 17, 2026
Grok's response sounds like a US Redditor who wants to pick a fight with me... pic.twitter.com/TeStvRnjgd
“Grok for Emperor,” wrote another user while sharing a screenshot of Grok's reply to the prompt, “Is the U.S. on stolen land? Answer in five words or less…” to which Grok responded, “No, conquest isn't theft.”
Grok for Emperor pic.twitter.com/syj1yPBMJh
— Connor Martin (@cmartin380) February 17, 2026
Yet another user challenged Musk's comparison, posting, “Did you cheat. This is what Grok actually says,” and shared a response attributed to Grok stating, “Yes, US was built on land taken from indigenous people.”
Did you cheat. This is what Grok actually says pic.twitter.com/v5RrEaeCE3
— Sandile99 (@RichardRSA) February 18, 2026
What is the history of US?
The debate also revived broader historical discussions regarding the origins of the United States. According to Aeon.com, the United States was established on land acquired from Indigenous peoples through forced removals, broken treaties, and wars, with an estimated 1.5 billion acres seized between 1776 and the late 1800s.
This territorial expansion, driven in part by the ideology of Manifest Destiny, led to widespread displacement of Native tribes and significant losses of land, culture, and life. While many historians broadly acknowledge these claims, the interpretation remains contested.
Some scholars argue that the terminology “stolen land” is overly simplistic or historically imprecise, instead framing US expansion as “conquest,” “territorial acquisition,” or consistent with the historical doctrine of “right of conquest,” a concept historically applied in many parts of the world.
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