Grok AI: What Is It? How to Access?

Grok AI is the latest big AI advancement of 2023.

This ChatGPT rival was unveiled by Elon Musk in November 2023.

This AI is similar to ChatGPT. You can ask it questions and it will generate original and unique answers.

But how can you try it? Is it free? Is it better than ChatGPT?

Let’s find out.

What Is Grok AI?

Grok AI — conversational AI for understanding the universe

Grok is the brainchild of Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI.

Positioned as the newest entrant in a competitive AI chatbot landscape, Grok joins the ranks of others like Google Bard and Claude AI.

Grok AI announcement in Grok's homepage
Elon Musk announces Grok AI on xAI’s homepage.

The term ‘Grok’ finds its roots in the 1960s sci-fi and is a lesser-known verb that’s quite relevant to AI.

Oxford Languages defines it as the ability to “understand something intuitively or by empathy.”

In the Martian language, as laid out in Robert Heinlein’s 1961 novel ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’, it means “to drink” but also signifies absorbing something so thoroughly that it becomes a part of you.

Nonetheless, let’s see how you can use it and what it does.

How to Access Grok AI?

At the moment, Grok AI is only accessible to people in xAI’s early access program.

So this app is unfortunately not yet available to the general public.

Most visitors will see a message like this if they try to sign up:

Grok AI access is limited

If you cannot access the early access program of xAI and Grok, make sure to leave your email there to get notified when the app is live.

Grok AI vs ChatGPT

What sets Grok apart from other LLMs such as ChatGPT is its access to X’s real-time data.

Here’s what Elon Musk just tweeted the other day.

Also, Grok is designed to have some sense of humor in its responses.

For now, there’s not much more experience with Grok from the general public because it’s just been released in a limited beta mode.

When Will Grok AI Be Available?

At the moment, Grok AI is not generally available.

It’s just been announced.

If you Google it, chances are that it’s not even the first result just yet…

Grok AI is not even the first search result

Okay, this will probably change in just days or hours.

Nonetheless, the way these big software or AI projects are launched is that first they build hype and do these partial launches.

So even though Elon Musk and a select few are trying the tool, it might still take a long time before it’s fully rolled out.

However, soon, it will be accessible to people with X’s Premium+ subscribers.

Why is Grok AI Important?

Grok AI stands out for several reasons:

  1. Real-time Data Access: Unlike other models, Grok AI has real-time access to the X platform, giving it a unique advantage when it comes to providing up-to-date information.
  2. Personality: With its sarcastic and witty humor, it offers a fresh and engaging user experience.
  3. Rapid Development: Despite being in the market for a short time, it’s a product of fast-paced development, showing xAI’s commitment to innovation.

Why Grok?

Based on the announcement of Grok AI, here are the takeaways to why Grok exists:

  • xAI aims to create AI tools that aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge.
  • Grok is being developed to gather diverse feedback, empower research, and innovation, and ultimately assist in understanding the world.
  • xAI emphasizes inclusivity, catering to all backgrounds and political stances, while adhering to legal guidelines.

FAQ

Is Grok AI available?

Unfortunately, Grok AI is not yet available to the general public.

This might change shortly, though.

At the moment, Grok AI is only accessible to a very select few in Elon Musk’s X Premium+ program.

What is predictable, though, is that to access Grok AI, one has to have a verified X account.

How to Access Grok AI

  1. x.ai Website: Go to the x.ai website, where Grok and other AI systems developed by xAI are located. On the website, scroll to the bottom of the page, and you’ll find a section labeled “Early Access to Grok”​1​.
  2. X Premium+ Subscription: Elon Musk has mentioned that subscribers to the X Premium+ plan, which costs $16 per month, will get access to Grok once it’s out of the early beta phase. This subscription plan offers ad-free access to the X platform​.
  3. Waitlist: xAI is offering early access to a limited number of users in the United States. There’s a specific waitlist set up for those who want to try out the Grok prototype​.
  4. Official Announcement from xAI: It’s crucial to keep an eye on official announcements from xAI, as they provide valuable information about Grok’s release stages and how to access it. For instance, they have mentioned the roll-out of new capabilities and features for Grok in the upcoming months​.

It’s essential to note that Grok AI’s access methods and availability might change over time as the platform evolves. For the most up-to-date information, always refer to official channels, such as the x.ai website or announcements from xAI.

To ensure you get the latest and most accurate details, I would recommend keeping a close eye on xAI’s official communications and their website.

Is Grok AI better than ChatGPT?

ChatGPT AI homepage

Who knows? We need a lot of time to see what Grok AI will be capable of doing in the near future.

At the moment it’s an AI bot that has just been announced. At this point, it’s fair to assume that Grok is not on the level of ChatGPT or Bing AI.

But that is just an assumption. We need to wait until we have it accessible to all of us and have millions and millions of people trying it out.

Until then, it’s all speculation.

Why is Grok AI not working?

Grok AI is not working because it’s not accessible to the general public.

But it’s going to be available shortly.

To activate Grok AI, head over to xAI.com and join the waiting list/sign up to X.

What Is ChatGPT?

Did you hear about Grok AI but haven’t heard about ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a big AI language model that’s capable of generating 100% unique and original text from inputs.

AI writing a blog post from scratch

You can tell ChatGPT to write a story about a horse. It can write song lyrics. It can write code or solve homework.

Grok AI is a competitor for ChatGPT. It’s Elon Musk’s response to the AI war that’s been going on for a year now.

If you just heard about Grok or ChatGPT for the first time, now it’s time to start using those tools!

Grok AI Alternatives

Meanwhile waiting for xAI’s Grok AI to become public, make sure to read this post about the best AI writing tools.

And if you want to create cool art (and get paid for it) make sure to read this post about the best AI art generators.

Want to learn about AI? Read this post: What Is Artificial Intelligence?