November 7, 2023 Elon Musk has launched a new AI chatbot called Grok on his social media site X, formerly Twitter.
Musk claims that Grok is “the best that currently exists” and that it is able to answer “spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems.” He also says that Grok has a “rebellious streak” and that it “loves sarcasm.”
According to Musk, he wants his version of AI to be “a maximum truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe.” xAI says that Grok is modeled after The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. xAI says that Grok is “intended to answer almost anything and, far harder, even suggest what questions to ask.”
Early signs suggest that Grok suffers from problems common to other AI tools. For example, it can provide inaccurate information and make mistakes. In one demonstration, Grok was asked for a step-by-step guide to making cocaine. It responded with a sarcastic response and then listed generalized information about cocaine, combined with sarcastic suggestions.
Grok is currently in beta testing, but it will later be available to paying subscribers of X. It will be “built into the X app and be available as a standalone app.”
The sources for this piece include an article in BBC.
