Elon Musk’s company, xAI, has introduced a game-changer in the world of AI chatbots: Grok. Designed to be an edgier alternative to ChatGPT, it can generate text, engage in conversations, and access real-time information via X (formerly Twitter), and also is rebellious and witty, designed to answer questions that most AI chatbots shy away from.
The Technology Behind Grok
Grok, powered by Grok-1, a large language model (LLM) trained on a vast array of text data, including everything from Wikipedia articles to scientific papers. The chatbot’s tech stack uses Kubernetes, JAX, and Rust, enabling xAI to develop Grok faster and more efficiently than competitors.
Unique Features
- Real-Time Information Access: can pull real-time data from X, allowing it to stay updated on current events and trends.
- Fun Mode and Regular Mode: offers two interaction styles. “Fun Mode” is for those looking for a more playful, sometimes factually incorrect, conversation, while “Regular Mode” provides more accurate, traditional AI responses.
- Rebellious Personality: Its personality is inspired by Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” blending humor with philosophical insights. This rebellious spirit allows Grok to answer questions in a way that is more provocative and less politically correct than other chatbots.
Why Is It Called Grok?
The name “Grok” is believed to be inspired by Robert A. Heinlein’s 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land. In the book, “grok” means a profound and intuitive understanding, which aligns with xAI’s vision of creating a chatbot that goes beyond basic responses to assist in humanity’s quest for knowledge.
Functionality
It can draft emails, debug code, generate creative ideas, and much more. What sets it apart is its willingness to tackle topics that other AI chatbots avoid, including taboo or potentially harmful subjects. This makes it a versatile tool for users seeking a broader range of interactions. For now, people are using it to generate unhinged images that make no sense whatsoever, but are super funny.
Grok vs. ChatGPT: Comparison
- Real-Time Information: It has direct access to posts on X, whereas ChatGPT does not have real-time data access.
- Political Correctness: offers a less politically correct and more ‘based’ and unapologetic communication style by design.
- Performance on Exams: Grok-1 scores better than ChatGPT’s free version on certain academic tests, though it still falls short of GPT-4’s capabilities.
- Multimodal Capabilities: While ChatGPT can process images, Grok is currently limited to text inputs.
- Cost: It is only available through a $16 monthly subscription to X Premium+, while ChatGPT offers both free and premium versions.
- Open-Source Access: xAI has released Grok-1 under an open-source license, allowing developers to build on the model, unlike ChatGPT, which remains closed-source.
How to Use Grok – Paid
Using Grok is straightforward:
- Subscribe: Sign up for a Premium+ plan on X for $16 per month.
- Sign In: Visit the Grok sign-in page to verify your credentials.
- Choose Your Mode: Select either “Fun Mode” or “Regular Mode” depending on your needs.
- Start Chatting: Use the chatbox to engage with the AI, whether you’re drafting emails, brainstorming ideas, or just having a playful conversation.
Unfortunately, it is not yet available for free, but we can probably hope to see it out soon.
Until then, check out some Free AI image generators that rival midjourney.
