Elon Musk announced the official launch of Grok, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that his startup xAI developed on the social media platform X.

Positioned as a direct competitor to ChatGPT, Grok is set to be exclusively available for Premium+ subscribers on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, according to Reuters.

(Photo : Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
C.E.O. of Tesla, Chief Engineer of SpaceX, and C.T.O. of Elon Musk speak during the New York Times annual DealBook summit on November 29, 2023, in New York City.

Elon Musk, who founded xAI in July, previously hinted at Grok's impending release during its early beta testing phase. The Thursday announcement, however, lacked specific details about the launch, leaving the user community curious about the new features and functionalities.

A Part of X's Evolution

Acknowledging the decline in advertiser engagement on X, Elon Musk has shifted his strategic focus towards reducing the platform's dependence on advertising. With an emphasis on subscription-based models, the tech mogul envisions transforming X into a comprehensive "super app" that caters to subscribers' diverse needs, encompassing messaging, social networking, and peer-to-peer payments.

The Guardian previously reported that Grok, a term originating from American science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein, signifies a profound and intuitive understanding. The xAI team drew inspiration from Douglas Adams' cult sci-fi comedy, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," as they developed Grok. The chatbot's Grok-1 language model, which powers it, aims to deliver perceptive responses with wit and a rebellious streak.

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Here's What to Expect from Grok

Toby Pohlen, a founding member of xAI with prior experience at Google Deepmind, in November acknowledged that Grok chatbot currently takes a few seconds to analyze and respond. The team is actively working to improve the system's speed, addressing concerns related to misinformation within the X platform, as reported by VentureBeat.

Beyond real-time responses, Grok AI introduces several features, including a distinctive "fun" mode, multi-tasking capabilities, shareable chats, and a feedback mechanism. The "fun" mode promises to infuse Grok with a unique personality, fostering engaging conversations with elements of sarcasm and humor.

Users will enjoy the flexibility of engaging in multiple conversations simultaneously with Grok, sharing these conversations externally through links, and providing detailed feedback to xAI to facilitate continuous improvement of the chatbot's capabilities.

xAI has established a dedicated website for Grok, encouraging users to sign up for the early access program. This move aligns with the broader industry trend of integrating evolving AI technologies into social media platforms, offering users novel and interactive experiences.

The development of the Grok Chatbot is intended to increase platform user engagement. Elon Musk acquired X for $44 billion in 2022.

Meanwhile, X Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino also announced on Thursday the tech firm's plan to hire engineers in Japan next year. Yaccarino stated that the hiring initiative aims to establish an app development team to develop functions and advertise products tailored to the Japanese market, as per a TechTimes report.

Japan accounts for 10% of the social media platform's 550 million users worldwide. Currently, X is marketing a smartphone "everything app," including short-text messages, AI-based searches, video conversations, uploading, and payments.

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