Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is offering virtual “companions” to paid subscribers. The options include an anime girl that offers a “spicy” mode, and an animated fox creature.
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot platform Grok has launched a new feature offering AI companions to “Super Grok” subscribers who pay $30 per month. Musk announced the new AI companion feature in an X post on Monday, sharing that it is now available to try out by updating the Grok app. Two AI companions are currently available: “Ani,” a goth anime girl with blonde pigtails wearing a tight corset, short black dress and thigh-high fishnets; and “Bad Rudy,” a 3D animated fox creature.
The choice to launch flirtatious anime girl characters as AI companions is notable, as some companies have begun catering to those seeking romantic relationships with AI, despite the potential risks. Companies like Character.AI are currently facing multiple lawsuits from parents who claim the platform is unsafe for children, with chatbots allegedly encouraging violence and self-harm in some cases. Even for adult users, a recent research paper found “significant risks” when people become overly dependent on AI chatbots for emotional support, companionship and therapy.
It is especially curious for Musk, a longtime proponent of improving birthrates to fight population collapse, would launch an AI companion. Breitbart News previously reported on Washington University Professor Liberty Vittert, who believes AI girlfriends are ruining the romantic future of young men. Vittery wrote, “These young men are lonely, and it is having real consequences. They are choosing AI girlfriends over real women, meaning they don’t have relationships with real women, don’t marry them and then don’t have and raise babies with them.”
The pivot to offering anime girl AI companions is a bold move for Musk’s xAI, especially coming so soon after the “MechaHitler” Grok controversy that highlighted issues with content moderation on the platform. It remains to be seen how Grok will handle the challenges of offering even more dynamic AI personalities while keeping interactions safe and appropriate for all users.
As AI companions and virtual relationships continue to grow in popularity, the technology raises complex questions around the emotional, psychological and even physical impact on human users. While some see AI companions as a harmless form of entertainment, others worry about the potential to cause real-world harm, especially for young and vulnerable users.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
