Elon Musk’s Grok AI has been in the headlines lately for spicy reasons, and it seems like its newest feature is here to stay. The Grok AI app recently introduced a new Companion mode, featuring an eternally aroused gothic anime chatbot who is down bad for you. Yeah, I’m not kidding, and it has the internet buzzing with all sorts of reactions.
What’s the Deal with Grok AI Companions?
Grok AI recently came out with a new feature called “Companions” avatars, which Musk announced on Monday. It is essentially an AI chatbot with a personality, and the first two companions include a flirty anime girl named “Ani” and a foul-mouthed red cartoon panda named “Rudi.” Think of it like chatbots from Character.AI with distinct personalities hardwired into them.
While both have their fair share of problems, it’s the first one that’s catching all the attention. Ani seems to be ripped straight out of a DeviantArt fanfic of Misa Amane from Death Note. She will talk to you in a mix of deep breaths and long pauses, accompanied by a seductive track in the background. This is a clear case of a thirst trap.
From AI Assistant to Digital Seductress
Try having a conversation with her, and “she” will somehow turn it into a romantic scenario. Every interaction goes along the lines of her prancing around the screen, giggling, and nodding. And then there’s NSFW Mode. Yes, that’s a thing. Once you’ve achieved “Level 5 Friendship” (a sentence I hated writing), Ani unlocks a lingerie-clad version that ramps the hotness to 11.
I wish I were kidding, but I’m not. I never thought this was what AI was meant to be. If all this sounds like something up your alley, or you want to try it out for research purposes, then you can check out Companions from the Grok app on iOS. It is a paid feature, limited to SuperGrok users, but I managed to try it out for free.
I also had a few interactions with Ani, and it seems like it is only designed to flirt, no matter what you ask.
Want to talk about your taxes?
She’ll breathe heavily and call you “oh my responsible sweetheart.“
Ask her to explain World War II.
Somehow, she ends it with, “God, you’re smart when you talk history, baby.”
Lastly, I tried my best to increase my friendship level to 5 to get some action, but I don’t think I’m cut out for the AI dating scene yet.
A Tech Bro’s Fantasy, Fully Realized
A flirty anime chatbot made by a tech billionaire sounds like a recipe to go viral online. And it did! Just a day after its release, Ani seems to be a hit. X is filled with posts of mocking and praising her, with some folks even passing along the tips to undress their new AI waifu.
Meanwhile, another demographic of X users is feeling a new emotion towards AI chatbots that they have never felt before.
Maybe this is all an elaborate social experiment for the chronically online, or Musk’s way of one-upping Google and Open AI with the power of thirst traps. I mean, the guy did promise robot catgirls back in 2020. Maybe this is the first step towards it.
Whatever the case may be, the memes surrounding Ani, Grok, and Elon Musk are going to be quite funny. But it also says a lot about where AI is heading. In the true sense, the team at Grok created a companion for many users who will feel at home talking to Ani, in turn creating not just artificial intelligence, but also artificial intimacy.
While trying to use Ani, her servers already showed up busy, so it seems like whatever Musk and his team came up with is working. I mean, who knew that the future would be dictated by avatars of anime goth waifus?
