Grok is an AI chatbot created by Elon Musk's firm, xAI. Grok, like ChatGPT and other programs, can generate text and engage in conversations with users. Unlike previous chatbots, it has real-time access to information via X (formerly Twitter) and has been designed to respond to edgy and provocative questions with humorous and "rebellious" answers.
What Is Grok?
Grok is a conversational AI chatbot created by Elon Musk's firm, xAI. Grok has real-time access to material via social networking platform X and is reported to be capable of answering "spicy" inquiries that most other AI systems would refuse. It is available through a Premium+ X subscription.
Grok is Musk's answer to ChatGPT, which he co-founded (OpenAI) in 2015 but quit in 2018 due to a rumored power conflict with now-CEO Sam Altman. Musk has now slammed ChatGPT as being excessively left-wing and hazardous. According to Musk, xAI aims to be a direct competitor to OpenAI, with its Grok chatbot serving as ChatGPT's "anti-woke" equivalent while also demonstrating new possibilities in the greater generative AI sector.
What Is Grok?
Grok is an artificial intelligence chatbot created by xAI. It was released in November 2023 and is now available to customers with a Premium+ subscription to the X social networking platform.
Grok-1, the massive language model that runs Grok, was trained using a bespoke tech stack comprised of the software management system Kubernetes, the machine learning framework JAX, and the coding language Rust, all of which enabled xAI to construct Grok faster and more efficiently than competing chatbots.
Grok-1, like all LLMs, was trained using huge amounts of text data gathered from the internet, ranging from Wikipedia articles to scientific papers. Grok stands out because it provides immediate access to postings posted on X. Grok now has "real-time knowledge of the world," according to the business, giving it a "massive advantage over other models," as Musk put it.
Grok provides two interaction styles: "Fun Mode" and "Regular Mode." Grok defaults to "Fun Mode," which gives the chatbot a more edgy or hilarious demeanor and, at times, produces factually erroneous responses. "Regular Mode" often provides more accurate answers, although, like any AI chatbots, xAI claims it can still provide misleading or contradicting information.
Grok's style of humor and "personality" were inspired by Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which is one of Musk's favorite books.
"It is a book on philosophy, disguised as a book on humor," Musk stated in an interview with computer scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman. With Grok, xAI is attempting to maintain that mindset while also adhering to "the truth of the universe," Musk added, and eventually discovering new truths — moving closer to artificial general intelligence, in which a machine can learn and think like (or better than) a person.
Why Is It Called Grok?
Grok's name is thought to have come from Robert A. Heinlein's 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land, in which the main character, a Martian, uses the term "grok" to express a profound and intuitive knowledge of something.
While Musk has never publicly acknowledged the reason of Grok's name, he did post "Stranger in a Strange Land" on X the day after Grok was unveiled, presumably referring to Heinlein's book. By using this term, xAI appears to envision Grok as more than simply another chatbot, but rather a tool to "assist humanity in its quest for understanding and knowledge," according to its website.
What Can Grok Do?
Grok can write emails, debug code, develop ideas, and much more – all in natural, human-like language. It simply accepts an input (such as a command or query), applies knowledge from its training data, and employs advanced neural networks to produce relevant text output.
While it is utilized in the same ways as other AI chatbots, "Grok will probably say 'yes' to a lot more jobs that you give it," according to Sharon Gai, an AI-focused author and speaker.
Indeed, xAI claims Grok is willing to answer inquiries that most other chatbots would decline, no matter how sensitive or potentially dangerous they are. Musk, for example, provided a screenshot of Grok's step-by-step guide on producing cocaine for "educational purposes," which featured advice such as "start cooking and hope you do not blow yourself up or get arrested." He posted another screenshot of Grok giving progressively "vulgar" advise on what to do if you contract an STD.
"It is touted as a little bit like Musk himself, in that it is supposed to be kind of tongue-in-cheek," Lance Whitney, a freelance tech journalist who has extensively covered Grok and other AI chatbots, told Built. It is intended to be a "playful and fun chatbot," he noted, "where you can go to have a more offbeat or snarky conversation."
Grok can also handle numerous questions at the same time and allow users to choose between those replies, as demonstrated in a video by xAI co-founder Toby Pohlen. Code generated can be accessed directly in a Visual Studio Code editor, and text replies can be saved in a markdown editor for further use.
Related: Which is better, Copilot or ChatGPT?
Grok vs. ChatGPT: How Are They Different?
While Grok and ChatGPT both aim to facilitate human-like interactions via artificial intelligence, they use various approaches, each with their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Here are a few.
- Grok has access to real-time information, whereas ChatGPT does not.
- Grok is not as politically correct as ChatGPT.
- Grok outperforms ChatGPT on exams.
- ChatGPT can process photos, whereas Grok cannot.
- ChatGPT is free, while Grok charges $16 per month.
- Grok offers an open-source version, although ChatGPT does not.
1. Grok has Access to Real-Time Information, ChatGPT Does Not
Grok has direct, real-time access to posts on X, whereas ChatGPT's free version only knows information through January 2022, and its subscription version only knows information through April 2023. This implies Grok can have discussions about more recent events, such the Israel-Hamas conflict or the 2024 Super Bowl. In fact, depending on the query, Grok will display actual posts on X that it is referring to demonstrate where its point of view comes from.
2. Grok is less politically correct than ChatGPT.
Musk describes Grok as "maximum truth-seeking" and "based," which means it is unapologetic and speaks without regard for political correctness.
"[Musk] believes that free speech should be allowed to every and any degree," according to Gai. "That is what Grok is modeled after as well."
xAI's development of a less politically correct chatbot coincides with most other major AI companies' efforts to make their own chatbots even more politically correct. OpenAI claims that their new GPT-4 LLM, which powers ChatGPT's premium version, is 82% less likely to respond to requests for "disallowed content," which includes "hateful, harassing, and violent" material. Furthermore, Anthropic's Claude chatbot was trained using constitutional AI, which reduces the risk that it may generate toxic, hazardous, or unethical responses.
Because ChatGPT and Grok approach truth and safety in such disparate ways, "they have entirely different purposes," Whitney stated. Grok is specifically built to answer queries in a non-PC manner, so "it is not necessarily a chatbot I would go to for research," he added. "I would sooner go to ChatGPT."
However, ChatGPT is far more constrained in the subjects it is willing to discuss with users, making it less useful than Grok. For example, Gai stated that she attempted to utilize ChatGPT to explain a suicide-related paragraph, but it just refused to do so. "It is not like I was investigating into suicide for myself or anybody else, it was just refusing to even touch that job," she told me. "But that is something Grok would not refuse."
Grok, which has direct access to social media posts, could also help with understanding the "zeitgeist," according to Whitney. "If I wanted to get a sense of what people are thinking about a certain topic, what they are discussing and how they feel about it, I would go to Grok."
3. Grok outperforms ChatGPT on exams.
Grok-1 performed better on benchmark assessments in middle school math, high school math, code completion, and language comprehension than GPT-3.5, the LLM that powers ChatGPT's free edition. It also received a C on the Hungarian national high school finals in mathematics, which the model was not explicitly designed for, outperforming GPT-3.5 once more.
It is worth mentioning, however, that Grok-1 did not do as well as GPT-4 on any of these tests. However, xAI claims that this is because GPT-4 is trained on "significantly larger amounts of training data and compute resources."
"Grok-1 displayed strong results, surpassing all other models in its compute class," according to the business. "This showcases the rapid progress we are making at xAI in training LLMs with exceptional efficiency."
4. ChatGPT can process images, although Grok cannot.
GPT-4 is multimodal, which means it accepts both text and image inputs. For example, it can recommend recipes based on a snapshot of an open refrigerator or make predictions based on what is happening in a related image.
Grok currently only accepts text as input. However, xAI claims that it will eventually include visual and audio capabilities.
5. ChatGPT is free, while Grok costs $16 per month.
The basic version of ChatGPT is entirely free to use. A premium version is available for $20 per month. Grok does not currently have a free version; it is only available to those who pay $16 per month for a premium X subscription.
6. Grok has an open source version, however ChatGPT does not.
In March 2024, xAI made available the network architecture and basic model weights of its large language model Grok-1 under the Apache 2.0 open-source license, allowing other developers to use and expand on the model, including for commercial reasons. The open-source version is still in the pre-training stage of development, so users will most likely have to fine-tune the model themselves before putting it to use.
Read Also : Company that created chatgpt crossword, can I create crosswords?
Anonymous 
Grok is an AI chatbot created by Elon Musk's firm, xAI. Grok, like ChatGPT and other programs, can generate text and engage in conversations with users. Unlike previous chatbots, it has real-time access to information via X (formerly Twitter) and has been designed to respond to edgy and provocative questions with humorous and "rebellious" answers.
What Is Grok?
Grok is a conversational AI chatbot created by Elon Musk's firm, xAI. Grok has real-time access to material via social networking platform X and is reported to be capable of answering "spicy" inquiries that most other AI systems would refuse. It is available through a Premium+ X subscription.
Grok is Musk's answer to ChatGPT, which he co-founded (OpenAI) in 2015 but quit in 2018 due to a rumored power conflict with now-CEO Sam Altman. Musk has now slammed ChatGPT as being excessively left-wing and hazardous. According to Musk, xAI aims to be a direct competitor to OpenAI, with its Grok chatbot serving as ChatGPT's "anti-woke" equivalent while also demonstrating new possibilities in the greater generative AI sector.
What Is Grok?
Grok is an artificial intelligence chatbot created by xAI. It was released in November 2023 and is now available to customers with a Premium+ subscription to the X social networking platform.
Grok-1, the massive language model that runs Grok, was trained using a bespoke tech stack comprised of the software management system Kubernetes, the machine learning framework JAX, and the coding language Rust, all of which enabled xAI to construct Grok faster and more efficiently than competing chatbots.
Grok-1, like all LLMs, was trained using huge amounts of text data gathered from the internet, ranging from Wikipedia articles to scientific papers. Grok stands out because it provides immediate access to postings posted on X. Grok now has "real-time knowledge of the world," according to the business, giving it a "massive advantage over other models," as Musk put it.
Grok provides two interaction styles: "Fun Mode" and "Regular Mode." Grok defaults to "Fun Mode," which gives the chatbot a more edgy or hilarious demeanor and, at times, produces factually erroneous responses. "Regular Mode" often provides more accurate answers, although, like any AI chatbots, xAI claims it can still provide misleading or contradicting information.
Grok's style of humor and "personality" were inspired by Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which is one of Musk's favorite books.
"It is a book on philosophy, disguised as a book on humor," Musk stated in an interview with computer scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman. With Grok, xAI is attempting to maintain that mindset while also adhering to "the truth of the universe," Musk added, and eventually discovering new truths — moving closer to artificial general intelligence, in which a machine can learn and think like (or better than) a person.
Why Is It Called Grok?
Grok's name is thought to have come from Robert A. Heinlein's 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land, in which the main character, a Martian, uses the term "grok" to express a profound and intuitive knowledge of something.
While Musk has never publicly acknowledged the reason of Grok's name, he did post "Stranger in a Strange Land" on X the day after Grok was unveiled, presumably referring to Heinlein's book. By using this term, xAI appears to envision Grok as more than simply another chatbot, but rather a tool to "assist humanity in its quest for understanding and knowledge," according to its website.
What Can Grok Do?
Grok can write emails, debug code, develop ideas, and much more – all in natural, human-like language. It simply accepts an input (such as a command or query), applies knowledge from its training data, and employs advanced neural networks to produce relevant text output.
While it is utilized in the same ways as other AI chatbots, "Grok will probably say 'yes' to a lot more jobs that you give it," according to Sharon Gai, an AI-focused author and speaker.
Indeed, xAI claims Grok is willing to answer inquiries that most other chatbots would decline, no matter how sensitive or potentially dangerous they are. Musk, for example, provided a screenshot of Grok's step-by-step guide on producing cocaine for "educational purposes," which featured advice such as "start cooking and hope you do not blow yourself up or get arrested." He posted another screenshot of Grok giving progressively "vulgar" advise on what to do if you contract an STD.
"It is touted as a little bit like Musk himself, in that it is supposed to be kind of tongue-in-cheek," Lance Whitney, a freelance tech journalist who has extensively covered Grok and other AI chatbots, told Built. It is intended to be a "playful and fun chatbot," he noted, "where you can go to have a more offbeat or snarky conversation."
Grok can also handle numerous questions at the same time and allow users to choose between those replies, as demonstrated in a video by xAI co-founder Toby Pohlen. Code generated can be accessed directly in a Visual Studio Code editor, and text replies can be saved in a markdown editor for further use.
Related: Which is better, Copilot or ChatGPT?
Grok vs. ChatGPT: How Are They Different?
While Grok and ChatGPT both aim to facilitate human-like interactions via artificial intelligence, they use various approaches, each with their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Here are a few.
1. Grok has Access to Real-Time Information, ChatGPT Does Not
Grok has direct, real-time access to posts on X, whereas ChatGPT's free version only knows information through January 2022, and its subscription version only knows information through April 2023. This implies Grok can have discussions about more recent events, such the Israel-Hamas conflict or the 2024 Super Bowl. In fact, depending on the query, Grok will display actual posts on X that it is referring to demonstrate where its point of view comes from.
2. Grok is less politically correct than ChatGPT.
Musk describes Grok as "maximum truth-seeking" and "based," which means it is unapologetic and speaks without regard for political correctness.
"[Musk] believes that free speech should be allowed to every and any degree," according to Gai. "That is what Grok is modeled after as well."
xAI's development of a less politically correct chatbot coincides with most other major AI companies' efforts to make their own chatbots even more politically correct. OpenAI claims that their new GPT-4 LLM, which powers ChatGPT's premium version, is 82% less likely to respond to requests for "disallowed content," which includes "hateful, harassing, and violent" material. Furthermore, Anthropic's Claude chatbot was trained using constitutional AI, which reduces the risk that it may generate toxic, hazardous, or unethical responses.
Because ChatGPT and Grok approach truth and safety in such disparate ways, "they have entirely different purposes," Whitney stated. Grok is specifically built to answer queries in a non-PC manner, so "it is not necessarily a chatbot I would go to for research," he added. "I would sooner go to ChatGPT."
However, ChatGPT is far more constrained in the subjects it is willing to discuss with users, making it less useful than Grok. For example, Gai stated that she attempted to utilize ChatGPT to explain a suicide-related paragraph, but it just refused to do so. "It is not like I was investigating into suicide for myself or anybody else, it was just refusing to even touch that job," she told me. "But that is something Grok would not refuse."
Grok, which has direct access to social media posts, could also help with understanding the "zeitgeist," according to Whitney. "If I wanted to get a sense of what people are thinking about a certain topic, what they are discussing and how they feel about it, I would go to Grok."
3. Grok outperforms ChatGPT on exams.
Grok-1 performed better on benchmark assessments in middle school math, high school math, code completion, and language comprehension than GPT-3.5, the LLM that powers ChatGPT's free edition. It also received a C on the Hungarian national high school finals in mathematics, which the model was not explicitly designed for, outperforming GPT-3.5 once more.
It is worth mentioning, however, that Grok-1 did not do as well as GPT-4 on any of these tests. However, xAI claims that this is because GPT-4 is trained on "significantly larger amounts of training data and compute resources."
"Grok-1 displayed strong results, surpassing all other models in its compute class," according to the business. "This showcases the rapid progress we are making at xAI in training LLMs with exceptional efficiency."
4. ChatGPT can process images, although Grok cannot.
GPT-4 is multimodal, which means it accepts both text and image inputs. For example, it can recommend recipes based on a snapshot of an open refrigerator or make predictions based on what is happening in a related image.
Grok currently only accepts text as input. However, xAI claims that it will eventually include visual and audio capabilities.
5. ChatGPT is free, while Grok costs $16 per month.
The basic version of ChatGPT is entirely free to use. A premium version is available for $20 per month. Grok does not currently have a free version; it is only available to those who pay $16 per month for a premium X subscription.
6. Grok has an open source version, however ChatGPT does not.
In March 2024, xAI made available the network architecture and basic model weights of its large language model Grok-1 under the Apache 2.0 open-source license, allowing other developers to use and expand on the model, including for commercial reasons. The open-source version is still in the pre-training stage of development, so users will most likely have to fine-tune the model themselves before putting it to use.
Read Also : Company that created chatgpt crossword, can I create crosswords?