Elon Musk’s recent promise of an ‘anti-woke chatbot’ has not gone as planned. The tech entrepreneur had promised an AI-powered chatbot that would be programmed to reject posts and comments deemed ‘woke’ or overly progressive. Musk claimed the chatbot was intended to challenge the dominance of progressive voices online and provide a platform for more moderate, centrist opinions. However, the project has been met with widespread criticism, with many arguing it was an attempt to police language and censor dissenting views. The backlash was so severe that Musk abandoned the project before it even had a chance to launch. While the tech entrepreneur ultimately decided against moving ahead with his plan, it’s clear that there is still a large audience for the type of chatbot Musk was proposing. Recent claims by progressive activists of a new ‘woke theology’, where only certain opinions are tolerated and challenging those could result in harassment or even termination, has caused alarm in some circles. This has led to an increase in demand for a platform that provides an alternative to progressive dogma, a platform where people can express opinions without fear of censorship or retribution. It remains to be seen whether Elon Musk, or anyone else, will create a chatbot that meets these demands. If so, it could represent a major shift in online culture; a shift towards more freedom of expression and, with it, more meaningful debate and discussion. Until then, however, this project remains on the shelf. The failure of Musk’s project might be a warning to aspiring developers to be more mindful when designing AI chatbots, especially when it comes to potentially sensitive topics. With this in mind, perhaps the dream of an ‘anti-woke chatbot’ will find another creator in the future.