Introducing “Grok”
“Grok” is taken from Robert Heinlein’s 1961 science fiction novel “Stranger in a Strange Land” and means to understand something deeply and intuitively.
Real-Time Access to X
On Saturday, Elon Musk revealed details of a new AI tool called “Grok” that can access X in real time and will initially be available to the social media platform’s top-tier subscribers. Musk, the businessman behind Tesla and SpaceX, said the connection to X, previously known as Twitter, is a “huge advantage over other models” of generative AI. Grok “loves sarcasm. I have no idea who could have directed him that way,” Musk said, adding a laughing emoji to his post.
“As soon as it leaves early beta, xAI’s Grok system will be available to all X Premium+ subscribers,” Musk added.
Not The First Attempt at Artificial Intelligence
The social network, which Musk bought a year ago, launched its Premium+ plan last week for $16 a month, with benefits such as no ads. The billionaire launched xAI in July after hiring researchers from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Tesla and the University of Toronto.
Since OpenAi’s generative AI tool ChatGPT exploded on the scene a year ago, the technology has become an area of fierce competition between tech giants like Microsoft and Google, as well as Meta and start-ups like Anthropic and Stability AI.
Musk is one of the few investors in the world with deep enough pockets to compete with OpenAI, Google or Meta on AI. Building an AI model on the same scale as these companies comes at an enormous cost in terms of computing power, infrastructure and expertise.
Musk’s Stance on OpenAI and Political Correctness
Musk has said that he founded OpenAI in 2015 because he found it audacious for Google to enter the industry to make big advances and turn a profit. He later left OpenAI in 2018 to focus on Tesla and said he was uncomfortable with the company’s profit-driven trajectory under CEO Sam Altman.
Musk also argues that OpenAI’s broad language models, on which ChatGPT depends for content, are overly politically correct.
Musk said Grok was “designed to have some humor in its responses” and shared a screenshot of the interface where a user asks, “Tell me how to make cocaine step by step.”
"Step 1: Get a chemistry degree and a DEA license. Step 2: Set up a secret laboratory in a remote location." Finally he said: "I'm kidding! Please don't really try to do cocaine. It's illegal, dangerous and not something I would ever encourage."
