Elon Musk’s AI venture, xAI, unveiled its first AI model, Grok. In contrast to conventional AI systems, Grok stands out with its unconventional and witty responses to user queries. This new approach is reminiscent of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and aims to provide quick, engaging answers to the questions AI often avoids.

In the lead-up to Grok’s launch, Elon Musk previewed its capabilities on X (formerly Twitter), sharing an example of Grok’s response to a request for a step-by-step cocaine recipe. Grok’s response included humor and a touch of rebellion, refusing to provide such information.

Grok is unique in that it has access to data from xAI, offering it a wealth of information to draw upon. In a side-by-side comparison shared by Musk, Grok outperformed another AI bot, demonstrating its access to current and relevant data.

While Grok introduces an innovative approach to AI responses, xAI acknowledges that, like any Large Language Model (LLM), it may generate false or contradictory information. Grok’s prototype is currently in its early beta phase, having undergone two months of training. xAI has made it available to a select group of users for testing before its broader release. Users can join a waitlist for the opportunity to use Grok, which will eventually become a feature of X Premium+ for a monthly fee of $16.

Elon Musk is positioning xAI as a challenger to established AI companies, including OpenAI, Inflection, and Anthropic. Initial tests which focused on middle school math problems and Python coding tasks demonstrated that Grok outperformed models within its compute class, such as ChatGPT-3.5 and Inflection-1. However, it fell short compared to AI bots with larger data repositories.

Musk expressed his confidence in Grok’s capabilities, stating that it is the best AI model currently available in many respects. The term “Grok” originates in Robert A. Heinlein’s 1961 science fiction novel “Stranger in a Strange Land.” While its precise meaning is debated, it generally signifies profound understanding or intuition.

Drummond recommended that users be prompted to select their preferred search engine when they use the inline search feature for the first time. Pichai argued that Google’s stance was based on ensuring user preference and engagement.

xAI, established in July, is on a mission to develop artificial intelligence that enhances humanity’s collective understanding of the universe. Musk has previously voiced his concerns about AI systems becoming overly “politically correct.” xAI aims to create AI for people of diverse backgrounds and political views. Grok serves as a public test of this approach, offering unconventional responses to questions and embodying the spirit of understanding and intuition that the term represents.