Grok steps out to mobile
Grok is not just for X anymore. The AI chatbot built by Elon Musk’s xAI company has launched an iOS mobile app in the US, Australia, India and several other countries. The app marks xAI’s ambition to compete with AI chatbot rivals with their own standalone apps, including ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude.
The app runs on the same Grok-2 AI model that powers its X-based counterpart. The chatbot can rewrite and summarize text, answer questions and generate images based on text prompts. For those looking for up-to-date information, Grok has access to real-time data from both the web and X. Although originally exclusive to X’s paying subscribers, Grok now offers a free tier and became more accessible with the launch of Grok. com as its own website.
Mobile Grok
Grok’s image generation feature will likely entice many users. xAI has touted Grok’s photorealistic rendering skills using the Flux AI model and its ability to analyze photos you upload, explaining which objects are captured by your phone’s camera. The app may also eventually use the Aurora image model that xAI apparently accidentally released very briefly before being removed.
For better or worse, AI’s ability to create images has also sparked some debates about copyright and ownership. Some have gotten in trouble for making copyrighted characters like Mario do things that Nintendo doesn’t approve of, leading copyright hunter Tracer to come after them for infringement.
The launch of Grok outside of X represents more than just an expansion of features; for example, xAI wants to reach at least some of those who pay for ChatGPT and other AI chatbots. The company is clearly hoping to create a larger product ecosystem where people pay for