Elon Musk launches AI chatbot “Grok”

Grok is characterized as a “frontier large language model” and claims to have an edge in access to real-time information from the X platform (formerly Twitter).

• Grok’s launch comes eight months after the founding of xAI by Elon Musk.
• It is considered a “very early beta product” and is expected to improve rapidly.
• Grok is built on a language model with 33 billion parameters and was developed in a relatively short two months.
• The team behind Grok includes alumni from renowned organizations such as DeepMind, OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft.
• Grok is classified as a “frontier large language model” and is subject to new AI testing requirements established by the White House and discussed at an AI safety summit. The xAI team plans to implement safety measures to prevent malicious use and ensure AI remains a force for good.
• Grok’s purpose is to empower research and innovation by providing real-time knowledge and answering a wide range of questions, including humorous ones.
• Musk has expressed dissatisfaction with OpenAI, believing it is controlled by Microsoft, its largest investor.
• Elon Musk has been involved in generative AI and has criticized AI models for being “woke.”
• Earlier, Musk threatened to sue Microsoft for allegedly using Twitter data to train its AI.
• The chatbot’s engine, Grok-1, performed better than ChatGPT-3.5 in mathematics and coding tests but didn’t surpass OpenAI’s GPT-4.
• “Grok” emphasizes the importance of making AI useful to people with diverse backgrounds and political views. Grok’s introduction may introduce a political dimension to the AI market, where users consider not only accuracy but also the political inclinations of AI responses.
• Unlike most AI models, Grok lacks certain guardrails, raising concerns about its potential misuse.
• The xAI team claims that Grok possesses a sense of humor and a “rebellious streak,” but as access to the service is limited, these claims are challenging to evaluate.
• Grok is designed to answer unconventional or “spicy” questions that other AI systems may reject. The model’s announcement doesn’t clarify the meaning of terms like “spicy” or “rebellious.”
• It claims to have real-time knowledge from the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, which Musk acquired in 2022.
• The model may use “retrieval augmented generation” to provide up-to-date information.
• Large language models like Grok have been successful but require human training to reduce errors and biases.
• It’s uncertain if Grok has received similar secondary training to other models.
• Grok is available for $16 per month on X Premium Plus but is currently limited to users in the United States.
• xAI is also working on a coding tool using the model’s capabilities.
• The purpose and plans for Grok’s use remain unclear.