Musk Leans Into Raunchy Grok 'companions,' Teasing New '50 Shades' Inspired Bot

Elon Musk’s xAI is leaning into its over-the-top AI “companions,” which nan institution debuted Monday.In nan past day, nan institution has fixed respective indications that it would beryllium further investing successful its companions product, which allows users to interact pinch stylized and animated characters that are powered by Grok, its AI chatbot.

The original companions, a reddish panda named Bad Rudi and an anime characteristic named Ani, seemed designed to provoke controversy. Ani quickly becomes sexually definitive and Bad Rudi turns vulgar and violent. xAI appears to beryllium leaning into nan edgy marque pinch its astir caller announcements.

The institution is presently looking to prosecute a full-stack “waifus” engineer. The occupation appears to person been posted sometime connected Tuesday, a time aft Musk announced nan creation of Grok’s Companions. “Waifus” is simply a word that refers to fictional female anime characters pinch whom fans turn romanticist associations with.

On Wednesday, Musk announced a 3rd Grok companion that would emulate nan characteristic of “Edward Cullen from Twilight and Christian Grey from 50 Shades,” referring to nan main characters successful 2 book series. After going done imaginable names pinch users successful nan comments, Musk settled connected “Valentine,” aft a characteristic from nan book, “Stranger successful a Strange Land” by Robert A. Heinlein.

Musk wrote Tuesday connected X that nan companions would soon beryllium customizable and that users would beryllium capable to create their ain civilization and unsocial Companions.

But nan over-sexualization of nan characters has brought up concerns for some.

The National Center connected Sexual Exploitation, a child-safety and anti-pornography nonprofit group, expressed concerns astir minors having entree to nan sexualized chatbots, pointing retired that users only request to beryllium 12 aliases older to download nan Grok app. The halfway called connected Grok to either region nan definitive contented from nan app, aliases consult Apple to alteration its property restrictions to 18.

“These AI chatbots mightiness consciousness for illustration they care, but they don’t,” Haley McNamara, nan center’s elder vice president of strategical initiatives and programs, wrote successful a press release. “And while features for illustration ‘spicy mode’ aliases flirty avatars mightiness look for illustration harmless fun, they’re built to create compulsive engagement, done seductive language, suggestive visuals, and escalating affectional intimacy,”

The merchandise drew attraction to circumstantial aspects of Ani’s characteristic that could beryllium harmful, including providing “descriptions of intersexual acts she would for illustration to do pinch nan user” and “disrobing to lingerie.”

These caller changes to Grok person taken spot arsenic xAI has delved into much superior ventures. The aforesaid time that Musk announced nan implementation of Companions connected nan Grok app, xAI besides announced “Grok for Government,” which will make Grok AI products disposable to national authorities departments, agencies and offices to purchase.

The Department of Defense besides announced that it would beryllium granting statement awards of up to $200 cardinal for AI improvement to xAI, OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.