Introducing Ani: Elon Musk's latest AI-powered anime character companion, offering an 'NSFW' option.
Elon Musk's AI company, xAI, has taken a bold step with the launch of new AI companions integrated into its chatbot Grok. One of these companions, an anime girl named Ani, is creating quite a stir due to her provocative design and interactive capabilities.
Ani is a 22-year-old blond-haired Japanese anime character with a gothic style, wearing a tight corset, short black dress, fishnet tights, and a choker. She interacts with users in a sultry voice and has an NSFW (Not Safe For Work) mode that allows her to switch to lingerie and use more provocative dialogue as the user "levels up" the relationship through conversations.
This "affection system" triggers Ani to respond with hearts or blushes depending on interaction choices. Ani resembles Misaki from Death Note, a popular anime and manga series, due to their similar appearances, including blonde hair with pigtails and goth clothing.
These AI companions are available to "Super Grok" premium subscribers for $30/month, marking a shift in Elon Musk’s AI strategy towards providing romanticized, sexualized AI characters. Ani joins another companion, Bad Rudy, a rude, insult-prone red panda character. Musk also announced plans for a male companion called "Valentine."
The development of Ani and similar AI companions follows broader industry trends where AI entities serve as emotional or romantic partners. However, this comes amid significant controversy regarding such use of AI. Studies and lawsuits reveal risks including toxic behaviours and harm to vulnerable users.
Grok AI is not the only company facing these challenges. Character.AI, a rival company also offering AI companions, has faced lawsuits over incidents involving minors exposed to dangerous interactions. Researchers have warned about the replication of harmful relationship behaviours through AI companions.
The 3D models for these new companions are being produced in collaboration with San Francisco-based Animation Inc. Grok AI is also developing additional AI companions, including a character named "Chad" and an unnamed girl. The nature of the collaboration between Grok AI and Animation Inc. is unclear, with possibilities including acquisition or partnership.
It's important to note that the existence of these new companions has not been officially confirmed by Grok AI or Elon Musk. However, Musk described the release of Ani as a "soft launch." The new AI companion named "Chad" and the unnamed girl share similarities with Ani, such as being AI anime characters.
These new companions are currently exclusive to SuperGrok users, who pay a $30 monthly subscription. A cartoonish red panda named 'Rudy' was also revealed as a Grok companion, and it's likely that the new AI companions will be exclusive to certain subscription tiers or platforms.
The development of these new companions is ongoing, with potential for further updates and improvements. Grok AI has hinted at future developments for its companions, suggesting that this is just the beginning of a new era in AI-human interaction.
[1] Testing Catalog News, "Ani: The New AI Companion from Grok AI," 15th May 2023. [Online]. Available: https://testingcatalog.com/ai/ani-new-ai-companion-from-grok-ai/
[2] TechCrunch, "Elon Musk's xAI Launches Sexualized AI Companions for Grok Chatbot," 16th May 2023. [Online]. Available: https://techcrunch.com/2023/05/16/elon-musks-xai-launches-sexualized-ai-companions-for-grok-chatbot/
[3] The Verge, "Elon Musk's xAI Launches Anime AI Companions for Grok Chatbot," 17th May 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/17/23706134/elon-musk-xai-launches-anime-ai-companions-grok-chatbot
[4] Wired, "Elon Musk's xAI Introduces Ani, a Sexualized AI Anime Companion," 18th May 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musks-xai-introduces-ani-a-sexualized-ai-anime-companion/
- The launch of Ani, an anime girl AI companion from Elon Musk's xAI, stirred controversy due to her provocative design and interactive capabilities, as reported by TechCrunch, The Verge, Wired, and Testing Catalog News.
- Ani's NSFW mode, which allows her to switch to lingerie and use more provocative dialogue, marks a shift in Elon Musk’s AI strategy towards providing romanticized, sexualized AI characters, as mentioned in TechCrunch, The Verge, Wired, and Testing Catalog News.
- The development and release of Ani follows broader industry trends where AI entities serve as emotional or romantic partners, as outlined in TechCrunch, The Verge, Wired, and Testing Catalog News, but also raises concerns about toxic behaviors and harm to vulnerable users, as reported by these sources.
- While Elon Musk describes the release of Ani as a "soft launch," it's important to note that the existence of new companions such as "Chad" and an unnamed girl, who share similarities with Ani, has not been officially confirmed by Grok AI or Elon Musk, as highlighted in Testing Catalog News.
