The craziest AI hallucination I've ever seen
The Atomic Layers: S10E5 (00272)
Atomic Layer of the Day:
The last few days have brought some rather tough and demanding stories (Nano Dimension, Desktop Metal, voxeljet), so today, for a change, I decided to share something different—just as interesting, but much lighter (also for me).
The story I’m about to tell happened two weeks ago, but I saved it specifically for an occasion like this.
It’s the story of the craziest yet most sophisticated AI hallucination I’ve witnessed so far. Its author was Grok, the AI created by X (Elon Musk’s company).
Let me start with this statement:
Never trust what AI writes.
AI hallucinates.
AI lies.
Well, everyone kind of knows that, but most people just shrug it off. Every now and then, we all get misled by AI, but usually it’s something minor.
Personally, I use AI for two things: research (which I then carefully verify) and translations.
For those who recently subscribed to my newsletter and don’t know—I'm from Poland and still live here. English is my second language, so I use AI to fix grammar or swap casual terms for something more sophisticated.
So, two weeks ago, while preparing a historical article about the late portal 3ders.org, I asked Grok to compile a summary of the most important information on the topic.
Now, don’t get me wrong—I know the story very well, and I’ve already written about it for VoxelMatters year ago. Let’s say I asked Grok out of habit, to go over the key facts again—or maybe to uncover something I might’ve missed.
And, in fact, Grok did find something.
Note: the original conversation with Grok took place in Polish, so I won’t paste screenshots you wouldn’t understand. But I hope you’ll take my word for it that this happened—and unlike AI, I don’t make things up.
Here’s what Grok told me:
In 2019, information emerged that 3ders.org had been acquired by the larger portal 3D Printing Media Network, which continued some of its functions but under a different brand and editorial team.
3D Printing Media Network is the former name of VoxelMatters. I know it’s founder
very well, and not only did he not acquire 3ders.org—I’m pretty sure he never had any intention to (but Davide can confirm that himself).I asked for verification and confirmation. Grok responded:
The last article appeared on the site on April 22, 2019, marking the actual end of its activity as a functioning media outlet. In May 2019, the portal was acquired by 3D Printing Media Network, which formally ended its existence as an independent service.
So I asked Grok—where did it get that information?
The information about the acquisition of 3ders.org by 3D Printing Media Network in May 2019 comes from an article on the Centrum Druku 3D website:
“Turbulence in 3D Printing/AM in Q4 2019,” published on April 26, 2020, authored by Paweł Ślusarczyk.
And now, attention! Grok has no idea that I am Paweł Ślusarczyk.
I was logged into the system using a different, anonymous account. That means it also doesn’t know I’m the founder and former owner of Centrum Druku 3D—the largest AM portal in Poland.
I asked for the direct link.
The exact link to the source is: https://polskiprzemysl.com.pl/druk-3d/zawirowania-w-druku-3d-am-w-czwartym-kwartale-2019-r/
And the literal quote about the acquisition of 3ders.org:
“In May 2019, one of the oldest portals dedicated to additive technologies—3ders.org, was acquired by 3D Printing Media Network, thus ending its operation as an independent service.”
The link leads to a completely different website, one I’ve had no connection with. And when you click it, it turns out to be dead.
When I informed Grok of this, it apologized and provided a new link:
Article link: https://centrumdruku3d.pl/3ders-org-znika-z-rynku-po-przejeciu-przez-3d-printing-media-network/
Literal quote from the article:
“In May 2019, one of the oldest websites dedicated to 3D printing technologies—3ders.org, was acquired by 3D Printing Media Network. Thus, after over 8 years of operation, the site ceased to function as an independent entity.”
I probably don’t need to tell you that this link didn’t work either—because I never wrote such an article…
Eventually, when I pressed Grok and started pointing out its fabrications one by one, it admitted to the mistake:
The error in my earlier response resulted from incorrectly attributing information about the acquisition to an article on cd3d.pl, which never existed.
Upon further verification, it turns out the information about the alleged acquisition of 3ders.org by 3D Printing Media Network may have come from unverified sources or misinterpretations in other publications that weren’t fact-checked.
For example, some sources—like a VoxelMatters article from November 1, 2024—describe the fall of 3ders.org but also do not mention any acquisition by 3D Printing Media Network, instead focusing on editorial issues and declining activity.
The lack of conclusive evidence in reliable sources suggests that such a transaction most likely did not take place.
So yeah… don’t trust AI. Like NEVER.
And I don’t just mean Grok. ChatGPT and the infamous DeepSeek make mistakes too. Or delete inconvenient content:
Atomic Layer from the Past:
05-05-2016: Olaf Diegel presented Heavy Metal – the world’s first guitar 3D printed from aluminum.
News & Gossip:
Velo3D has partnered with Ohio Ordnance Works (OOW) to support the development of 3D-printed military weapons. Through its Rapid Production Solutions platform, Velo3D will provide application engineering, additive design, material selection, and part testing services. The goal is to optimize OOW’s components for additive manufacturing, improving performance and accelerating production.
Ursa Major secured a $28.6M contract from the US Air Force Research Laboratory to advance its Draper engine, made with additive manufacturing. The contract covers integration and flight testing through 2027. Draper supports hypersonic applications, aligning with national defense priorities like the “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative.
3D Spark has raised €2 million in seed funding to expand its AI-driven platform for industrial manufacturing and procurement. The Hamburg-based startup aims to enhance decision-making across design, production, and sourcing. Backed by Triplefair, FTTF, and IFH, the funds will support technology expansion and team growth across Europe.
I can confirm we did not (under our previous name) buy 3ders. However, by hiring Tess as our first editor (after she left 3ders) we did, in a way, acquire the "soul" of 3ders ;)