X Expands Grok Chatbot Access for Premium Subscribers Amidst Competition

Social media giant X is now offering its AI-driven Grok chatbot to Premium tier subscribers, expanding access to the service beyond its previous availability only to Premium+ users. Following a recent announcement by Elon Musk, the platform has extended the chatbot's accessibility to a broader user base, with Premium and Premium+ subscribers now able to engage with Grok in specific regions.

Previously, Grok was limited to Premium+ subscribers who paid either a monthly fee of $16 or an annual subscription of $168. However, with this update, users subscribed at the $8 per month tier can now enjoy the chatbot's features, as reported by Techcrunch.

Grok offers users two interaction modes: "Regular mode" and "Fun mode," providing them with various ways to engage with the AI-driven service. However, users are cautioned that Grok's responses may sometimes be inaccurate, which is typical of Large Language Model (LLM) products.

One of the recent enhancements includes a new explore view within Grok, summarising trending news stories concisely. Although similar features are offered by competitors like Perplexity AI, Grok sets itself apart by not only summarising stories but also crafting headlines. However, concerns arose when the chatbot generated a fictitious headline, "Iran Strikes Tel Aviv with Heavy Missiles," as reported by Mashable.

Elon Musk's aim to broaden Grok's user base reflects the competitive landscape, with products like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude being prominent competitors. Musk's recent criticisms of OpenAI's operations and a lawsuit filed against them in March highlight the intense competition in the industry.

While xAI has made Grok open-source, questions remain about the model's transparency and the company's development approach, raising concerns among industry observers. As Grok continues to evolve amidst the competitive dynamics of AI-driven chatbots, there is an expectation for more insights into its development and data transparency.