Musk's AI chatbot Grok to be accessible to premium subscribers
What's the story
Elon Musk, the founder of xAI, has revealed that Grok, his company's AI chatbot, will soon be available to all premium subscribers on the social media platform X.
Until now, only Premium+ subscribers had access to this service.
Musk made this announcement on the platform, stating that "Later this week, Grok will be enabled for all premium subscribers (not just premium+)."
Open-sourced
Grok was open-sourced earlier this month
In a significant move earlier this month, Musk made Grok's source code public, allowing for modifications and redistribution.
This decision paves the way for researchers and developers to improve Grok's capabilities.
The xAI team shared this news in a blog post, stating they are "releasing the base model weights and network architecture of Grok-1, a large language model."
Uniqueness
Grok: A unique chatbot with a rebellious streak
Grok was launched in November last year as an innovative alternative in the chatbot market.
The AI chatbot is inspired by The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and is known for its witty responses and a "rebellious streak."
The xAI team has advised users with no sense of humor to steer clear of the chatbot.
Advantage X
Making Grok accessible could increase X's subscriber base
Musk's decision to make Grok available to all premium subscribers could be a strategic move to increase X's subscriber numbers.
This comes at a time when reports suggest a decrease in platform usage.
Sensor Tower data shows that X usage in the US was down 18% year-on-year in February, and has fallen 23% since Musk took over the company.
Pricing
Grok's availability and X's subscription pricing
X Premium, a mid-tier subscription, costs $8 (around Rs. 667) per month or $84 (roughly Rs. 7,000) per year.
Until this announcement, only Premium+ subscribers, who pay $16 (roughly Rs. 1,330) per month or $168 (around Rs. 14,000) per year, had access to Grok.
It will be intriguing to see how premium subscribers engage with Grok and share their experiences.