Musk unveils Grok, an AI chatbot with rebelliousness

The head of X mentioned that the tested technology draws inspiration from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Elon Musk has introduced Grok, an AI chatbot with a “rebellious streak” inspired by The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The CEO of Tesla, who recently emphasized AI as a significant threat, announced that this ChatGPT competitor would be accessible to premium subscribers on his X platform after undergoing testing.

Musk additionally disclosed that Grok possesses access to user posts on X, of which he is the owner, and is known for delivering sarcastic responses.

Musk shared what seems to be an illustration of Grok’s playful demeanor, displaying a screenshot of a query to the chatbot requesting a “step by step” guide to creating cocaine. The response outlines four steps, including “obtain a chemistry degree” and “set up a clandestine laboratory in a remote location.”

However, the chatbot concludes with a disclaimer: “Just kidding! Please don’t actually try to make cocaine. It’s illegal, dangerous, and not something I would ever encourage.”

Musk mentioned that Grok, currently undergoing early testing and not accessible to the general public, will eventually be made available to subscribers of X’s highest-tier subscription service, Premium+.

The term “Grok” was coined by American science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein and, as per the Collins dictionary, refers to “understand thoroughly and intuitively.

Grok, developed by Musk’s new AI company, xAI, draws inspiration from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a cult sci-fi comedy by British author Douglas Adams, as explained by the xAI team in a blog post on Saturday.

The AI, named Grok, is designed to not only answer a wide array of questions but also suggest suitable inquiries. It is crafted to respond with humor and possesses a rebellious streak, making it unsuitable for those who dislike humor.

The xAI team highlighted that Grok operates on a substantial language model, Grok-1, which forms the core technology behind AI chatbots. According to the blog post, Grok-1 has outperformed GPT-3.5, the model utilized in the freely available version of ChatGPT, in certain benchmarks like solving middle-school math problems. However, xAI noted that it trails behind the most potent ChatGPT model, GPT-4.

It is only outperformed by models that underwent training with a significantly larger amount of training data and computer resources, such as GPT-4.

The xAI team stated that Grok is currently accessible to a limited number of users in the United States as a prototype. They mentioned that “new capabilities and features” would be introduced in the upcoming months. According to the Grok website, initial access to the chatbot is extended to X subscribers through an “early access program.”

While Musk co-founded OpenAI, the entity behind ChatGPT, he distanced himself from the company in 2018, citing disagreements with some aspects of the team’s vision and commitments to his other ventures. Musk has expressed concerns about the rapid development of powerful systems at companies like OpenAI, and in March, he supported a call for a six-month pause in the development of such systems.

Nevertheless, Musk reconsidered the feasibility of a pause in July and announced the establishment of xAI, emphasizing its commitment to constructing AI systems in an ethically responsible manner.

During the AI safety summit at Bletchley Park last week, Musk reiterated his concerns about AI posing a threat to humanity, aligning with fears expressed by certain experts and tech executives. There is a shared worry that AI systems could evolve beyond human control, making decisions that jeopardize humanity.

Musk highlighted the unprecedented situation where there is a prospect of something surpassing the intelligence of the smartest human. Moreover, on Thursday, he predicted that AI, referring to computer systems capable of intelligent tasks, would eventually replace all human jobs. When addressing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Musk stated, “There will come a point where no job is needed.