AI chatbot Grok will be accessible to all premium subscribers on X this week, announces Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s company, xAI, has announced the wider availability of its Grok chatbot, a competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Available to premium subscribers of xAI later this week, Musk made the announcement via a tweet which included a tutorial video on how to interact with Grok on the company’s website.

Previously, the chatbot was only accessible to Premium+ subscribers, costing $16 per month or $168 per year when billed annually. However, the new rollout to the cheaper Premium tier, costing $8 per month or $84 annually, paves the way for the Grok chatbot to be more readily accessible to consumers.

Elon Musk’s xAI open-sourced the Grok-1 model that powers its chatbot in mid-March. This move came shortly after Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman, alleging they abandoned their non-profit mission in pursuit of profits. Musk was an early supporter of OpenAI and provided funding when the organisation was just starting.

According to Musk’s lawsuit, he believes OpenAI is developing generative artificial intelligence for the financial benefit of Microsoft, rather than for the betterment of humanity. He views this as a profound breach of their founding commitment.

In response, OpenAI countered that there was no founding agreement with Musk, nor any commitment to open-source their technology. They maintained that Musk was not only aware of their transition to a for-profit entity but was also engaged in its planning. Moreover, they claimed Musk initially sought majority equity, control of the first board of directors, and the position of CEO.