Elon Musk, the trailblazing billionaire and technological visionary, recently unveiled plans to debut ‘Grok’, the new advanced chatbot by xAI, on their platform X. Set to roll out to X’s Premium+ subscribers within the coming week, Grok heralds a new chapter in chatbot technology. While Musk’s track record for delivery times has occasionally faltered, signs point to a timely arrival due to ongoing integration efforts with the X’s web application.
Nima Owji, a skilled application inspector, has been closely observing X’s web platform and has unearthed interesting additions in recent times. One screenshot he shared signaled that current non-Premium+ users would be faced with an invitation to upgrade their subscription level to access Grok. Another snapshot showcases an ‘Ask Grok’ textbox, hinting at the interactive capability Grok is anticipated to bring. While these glimpses were not in the public domain at the time of discovery, they provided a tantalizing insight into Grok’s impending launch.
Developed in response to competitor technologies like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, and Anthropic’s Claude, to name a few, Grok was first introduced on November 4 to a select cadre of testers. It appears to be ready to make waves on X’s extensive social platform because xAI, a company Musk owns, powers it.
The promise of Grok extends beyond a technologically advanced chatbot; it is a chatbot infused with a dose of charm. Grok is programmed to interact with users in a witty and occasionally rebellious manner. While traditional AI systems shy away from divisive queries, Grok seems to embrace them. Grok is not purely about personality, though. It also offers real-time access to information through the X platform. This feature could balance Grok’s delightful quirks with data-backed insights.
The incorporation of Grok into X’s offering might prove to be a catalyst, boosting participation in X’s Premium subscription. This segment hasn’t taken off as Musk had initially hoped. Despite the overhaul of Twitter Blue into X Premium and the addition of value-added features like paid validation, amplified visibility in responses, an option to share extended posts and videos, and fewer ads, the growth has been slow. So, the addition of Grok to the Premium+ subscription, the highest tier priced at $16 per month, might reel in more users. The need for fresh revenue streams is more pronounced now due to advertiser attrition caused by controversial content on the platform.
The upcoming debut of Grok comes at a time of turbulence for rival AI company OpenAI, with leadership reshuffles making headlines. This includes the temporary displacement of CEO Sam Altman, who, along with co-founder Greg Brockman, momentarily relocated to Microsoft, only to return shortly after. Altman seems to be aware of Grok’s imminent arrival, even poking fun at the chatbot’s proclaimed comedic abilities.
Grok emerged from a fallout between Musk and OpenAI’s top brass, which led to Musk pulling away from the non-profit and establishing his own AI venture, xAI. Enlisting industry veterans from Google DeepMind, Google Research, OpenAI, Microsoft Research, and Tesla, Musk has honed Grok on a knowledge base akin to ChatGPT and Meta’s Llama 2. But Grok’s real strength will be its ability to tap into live information on X and carry out timely web searches for current data on various topics.
