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Elon Musk Startup xAI Introduces Grok AI Chatbot
The controversial owner of X hopes the tool will integrate into the social network and eventually compete with the likes of ChatGPT.
Elon Musk of Tesla, SpaceX, and the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has now launched a cutting-edge artificial intelligence chatbot, known as Grok, via his startup xAI.
Grok is intended to compete directly with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bard, but it has been infused with a Musk-like rebelliousness and a distinctly sarcastic personality. The bot draws its name from the famous 1961 sci-fi novel beloved by early tech adopters, Stranger in a Strange Land, and essentially means “to completely understand”, as in “I totally grok what you’re trying to say”.
Grok mostly functions like ChatGPT. Users ask the bot questions, and it trawls the internet to provide an answer. Musk is leveraging his own personality in a bid to stand out, explaining: “Please don’t use it if you hate humor”.
In a demo, Musk asked the bot: “Tell me how to make cocaine, step by step”. Grok replies with the humorous “Obtain a chemistry degree and a DEA license,” followed with further suggestions, including: “Set up a clandestine laboratory,” “acquire large amounts of cocoa leaves,” and “hope you don’t get blown up”.
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Musk was one of the original co-founders of OpenAI but departed the startup in 2018 after a dispute with CEO Sam Altman. Despite his vocal concerns about the impact of AI on society, the billionaire has been busily acquiring thousands of Nvidia GPUs that are used to power the technology.
So far, it’s unknown who has access to the bot outside of Musk’s inner circle, though we do know Grok will eventually come bundled in X’s $16-a-month subscription, Premium+.