Elon Musk's AI venture, xAI, has introduced a chatbot named Grok, poised to present a significant rival to ChatGPT. In recent days, Musk has been providing insights and updates about Grok on his social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter.
Musk mentioned that Grok, currently undergoing initial testing and not accessible to the public, will eventually be made available to subscribers of X's highest-tier subscription service, Premium+.
According to a statement released by xAI, the company mentioned that Grok is designed with inspiration from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." It aims to embody "a touch of cleverness," "a streak of rebellion," and the capacity to address the "provocative questions" that other AI might avoid.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, seems to position xAI as a potential rival to companies such as OpenAI, Inflection, and Anthropic.
The term "Grok" originated from Robert A. Heinlein's 1961 science fiction novel "Stranger in a Strange Land." Within the book, 'grok' represents a Martian term that lacks a direct equivalent in Earth's languages. While critics have discussed its precise meaning, they generally agree it refers to a profound sense of empathy or intuitive understanding toward something.
In initial tests involving middle school math problems and Python coding tasks, the company stated that Grok outperformed "all other models in its compute class, including ChatGPT-3.5 and Inflection-1." However, it was surpassed by bots equipped with larger data repositories.
The early beta phase of the prototype spans only two months of training and is currently accessible to a limited group of users for testing before a broader release by the company. Interested users can join a waitlist for an opportunity to engage with the bot. Elon Musk mentioned on X that eventually, Grok will become a part of X Premium+, which is priced at $16 per month.
Both ChatGPT and Grok AI hold unique features.
Here are some key differences between these chatbots:
ChatGPT, created by OpenAI, utilizes an extensive and varied data set sourced from platforms such as Common Crawl, web materials, literary works, and Wikipedia. On the other hand, Grok's training involves live data sourced directly from the X platform. This immediate access to real-time information distinguishes Grok by providing a level of freshness and relevance that sets it apart.
Grok is a product crafted by Elon Musk and a team of specialists operating within the AI venture 'xAI.' In contrast, ChatGPT is the brainchild of OpenAI, an organization dedicated to AI research. These differing ownership frameworks play a significant role in shaping the development and trajectory of AI systems.
ChatGPT became publicly available in November 2022, offering its wide-ranging capabilities to a broad spectrum of users. In contrast, Grok is currently in its beta phase and accessible to a limited user base within the United States. According to Elon Musk, "Once it progresses beyond the initial beta phase, xAI's Grok system will be accessible to all subscribers of X Premium+."
Grok is tailored to provide responses with a clever and slightly defiant tone, setting it apart from ChatGPT's manner of communication. This stylistic contrast aims to deliver a distinctive user experience that caters to a range of communication preferences.
ChatGPT provides users with two options: a free basic version that does not include real-time data updates, and a premium version priced at $20 per month. This version offers immediate access to information. On the other hand, Grok will be accessible to premium+ users of X at a reduced monthly cost of $16, potentially making it a more economically viable choice.
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has predicted a series of upcoming hurdles for Elon Musk's Grok AI. Hoskinson anticipates waves of criticism and controversy on the horizon for this groundbreaking artificial intelligence model.
Simultaneously, Hoskinson speculates that the forthcoming critique may encompass concerns regarding utility, potential threats to democracy, the spread of disinformation, and possibly even calls for a ban on Grok AI. These forecasts have attracted considerable attention, and it will be worth knowing what impact Grok AI will create in the coming years.
