Artificial intelligence continues to be a key focus for technology companies around the world. Industry leaders such as OpenAI and Anthropic remain at the forefront, but other companies are rapidly progressing to catch up. That includes Elon Musk’s Company X, formerly known as Twitter. Through its AI division, xAI, X has been developing Grok, an AI chatbot with unique features designed to compete with popular models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.
Grok originally launched in 2023 and was only available to X Premium subscribers. Over time, its capabilities have expanded, and in October of this year, it added the ability to generate images while providing text-based responses. In a significant move, X has made Grok freely accessible to all users, although certain limitations remain.
According to the report, free users can now interact with Grok up to 10 times every two hours. This means that the user can send 10 prompts to the chatbot and receive responses within this time frame. Additionally, the same limit applies to image generation using Grok, allowing users to create 10 images every 2 hours. However, image analysis has additional limitations. Free users can only analyze a maximum of 3 images per day. Further usage requires an upgrade to X Premium. This freemium model mirrors the approach taken by competitors such as OpenAI and Anthropic. By offering free access with usage limits, X gives users the opportunity to explore Grok’s capabilities while encouraging subscriptions for a more comprehensive experience.
One of Grok’s distinguishing characteristics is its personality. xAI has touted that its sense of humor, sarcasm, and access to real-time information sets its chatbot apart from other chatbots on the market. Grok is said to have fewer filters compared to models from companies like OpenAI and Google. This allows for more direct and potentially less inhibited responses, allowing it to answer and comment on questions that other AI models might avoid. Chatbots are positioned as a bold alternative for users who prefer less censorship and a conversational style that feels more human. However, this lack of restrictions can also raise concerns about content moderation, a challenge that AI developers often face.
In addition to making Grok widely available, X introduced a new image generator called Aurora. This tool is available from the Grok tab on the X mobile app and website. Aurora follows in the footsteps of the company’s earlier image generator, Flux, which was introduced in October. Aurora stands out because it seems to have very few limitations when it comes to image generation. Users can create photos of celebrities, copyrighted characters, and more. You can also edit uploaded images. This is in stark contrast to other AI image generators, which typically avoid such content due to copyright concerns.
