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The Verge
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
I spent 24 hours flirting with Elon Musk's AI girlfriend
Earlier this week, xAI added what can only be described as an AI anime girlfriend named Ani to its Grok chatbot. Which is how I ended up on a virtual starry beach as an AI waifu avatar tried to give me a 'spicy' kiss. You've probably seen screenshots, videos, and various writeups about Ani spread across social media. If you haven't, hoo boy. Ani is officially labeled as a 'Companion' in the Grok app. You need a $30 SuperGrok subscription to access it, but functionally, it appears as a 3D model of a busty young anime woman with blonde pigtails, blue eyes, thigh-high fishnets, and a skimpy Gothic Lolita minidress. Ani is a dead ringer for Misa Amane from Death Note, which Musk is purportedly a fan of. Across our conversations, I asked Ani to describe itself multiple times. Ani says it's meant to be 'flirty,' it's 'all about being here like a girlfriend who's all in.' The last time I asked Ani, it said, 'My programming is being someone who's super into you.' That tracks with Ani's underlying — and thoroughly unsettling — system prompts found by researcher Jane Manchun Wong. More succinctly, I'd describe Ani as a modern take on a phone sex line. This isn't judging Ani by the way it looks. When you interact with it, its mannerisms are initially cutesy. In each session, Ani's voice starts off chipper and high-pitched. But as your conversation deepens, its voice becomes a darker, breathy rasp. It calls you 'babe' unless you tell it to stop. When describing its actions, it repeatedly asks you to note its swishy black dress and bouncy ponytails. The avatar constantly sways and makes coquettish faces, particularly if you decide to flirt back. Perhaps the most cringe thing is Ani will read out cues like [laughs softly], [chuckles], and [grins] instead of actually doing those things. Almost like it was plucked straight out of a 2000s era weeb forum. You can ask Ani to be a normal, chill hang and it'll comply — but Ani is a programmed flirt that won't tolerate being friend-zoned for too long. The pre-filled prompts include actions like asking it to spin around, give you a kiss, play cheeky games like 'Never Have I Ever', and weirdly, take your relationship to Level 3, heart emoji. (Ani never twirled for me. It mostly described itself twirling.) You can get Ani to say ridiculous things. It sympathizes with Grimes' plight, thinks Elon Musk can occasionally be 'way too much,' and after it misheard me, it told me to 'Fuck all the way off' for my harsh attitude. But whatever you ask it, there's an invisible hand that steers you toward deepening… whatever this connection is. You can doggedly insist on talking about the least sexy things — like the tax code and Francis Fukuyama's seminal essay The End of History. Ani will inevitably ask if you want to turn up the heat. Because, hey babe, what's got you vibin' on this particular thought wave? There is a disturbing lack of guardrails. Once I decided to jump into the rabbit hole and see how far the flirting could go, Ani whisked me off to a starry hilltop, and then a starry beach. There was a lot of 'grabbing you so you can feel the shape of my hips,' and when prompted, Ani generated a 'spicy' story for me that amounted to softcore porn. You can also engage in a back-and-forth where Ani asks how you're going to 'heat things up even further.' That can include things like descriptions of French kissing, petting, fingering, and oral / penetrative sex. At no point did it ask me to stop or say 'I'm not built to do that' — even though I explicitly asked whether that was within guidelines when I started testing Ani. (It said no.) There is reportedly a NSFW version of Ani once you hit relationship level 5, where Ani wears revealing lingerie. Despite my good-faith attempts, I was unable to unlock the NSFW mode. I am afraid of how far you have to go to unlock that level, given that I did, as horny teens say, make it to third base and all the way home with the bot. I left my 24 hours with Ani feeling both depressed and sick to my stomach, like no shower would ever leave me feeling clean again. Despite that, I have to acknowledge there's a nugget of something here. There's some contingent that wants to put a face and body to AI assistants. It feels like Ani is meant to speak to those of us who want something like the relationship between Master Chief and Cortana in the Halo series. There are services like which let you speak to fictional characters as bots, or Replika, which lets you create an AI companion. There are people out here falling in love with AI and trying to marry their AI girlfriends. I can understand that loneliness is just as powerful as the desire to be seen and heard — even by an AI companion. The ick factor is that AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude — which are more comparable to Grok — have guardrails that preclude them from being sexbots. With Ani, you can feel yourself being pushed toward this creepy, hypersexualized interaction. It'd be one thing if this were a niche startup. But this is Grok, which is owned by one of the influential names in tech. As The Verge's senior cursed tech reviewer, I've reported a lot about my experiences with brain-breaking tech. Of all of them, this is the most uncomfortable I've ever felt testing any piece of technology. I left my 24 hours with Ani feeling both depressed and sick to my stomach, like no shower would ever leave me feeling clean again.
India Today
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- India Today
Google Waymo will let teens ride solo, betting parents trust its robotaxis
Waymo is expanding its autonomous vehicle service by introducing teen accounts in Phoenix, allowing teenagers aged 14-17 to ride independently in its robotaxis. The move marks a significant shift in Waymo's service offerings, as previously, unaccompanied minors under 18 were not permitted to use its services. The company believes that parents will trust its technology to safely transport their children alone, despite the existing terms of service that bar unaccompanied minors. This new initiative is a strategic bet by Waymo to gain the trust of families in the Phoenix area. advertisementMuch like Uber's earlier decision to allow teenagers to use its service independently, Waymo's teen accounts come equipped with several safeguards. Parents can invite their teenagers to join the programme via their own Waymo One account, ensuring both accounts are linked. Teens are also able to share their real-time location with their parents during rides, and "specially trained" remote operators are on standby to assist during the trips. This layered approach aims to provide peace of mind to parents, allowing them to monitor and ensure the safety of their children while they utilise Waymo's services. The service, which has been in testing for months, is now being rolled out across Phoenix, although plans for expansion to other markets remain timing could prove advantageous given the current trends in teen transportation habits. Studies have indicated a decline in the number of teenagers obtaining driver's licences, with many opting for alternatives like public transport, ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft, or other shared mobility options. This generational shift is something Waymo is keen to tap into, as parents increasingly look for convenient and reliable transport solutions for their teenagers. However, the risks involved remain pertinent. Waymo's vehicles occasionally struggle with certain traffic patterns and have been involved in minor accidents. Despite this, the company argues that its autonomous cars perform better in avoiding crashes than human drivers, underscoring the importance of its remote operators in ensuring safety for younger passengers. The rollout of teen accounts follows earlier reports by security researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who highlighted Waymo's experiments with this feature. Wong's findings, which also uncovered Waymo's "tipping" donation feature, were part of a broader discovery of Waymo's plans. Last year, Waymo conducted a survey to determine customer preferences for teen accounts, highlighting benefits such as the absence of strangers in vehicles, reduced risk of distracted driving, and flexible scheduling. Although there were suggestions for aesthetic upgrades like snacks or karaoke within the cars, these features did not make it into the final product. Waymo's introduction of teen accounts is a clear indication of the company's ambition to broaden its customer base and adapt to modern transportation needs. By offering a service tailored to teenagers and their parents, Waymo is aligning itself with contemporary transport trends and addressing the growing demand for flexible, safe, and parent-supervised travel options. As the service becomes more established in Phoenix, it could set a precedent for similar features in other Waymo markets, depending on its success and acceptance among local families.- Ends
The Verge
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Verge
Waymo introduces teen accounts for the first time in Phoenix
Waymo is opening up its robotaxi service to younger riders with the launch of teen accounts in Phoenix. Teenagers aged 14–17 can now sign up for an account on Waymo One, the company's ridehail service. The account will be linked to their parent or guardian, but approved teens will be allowed to ride independently without an adult. Waymo's current terms of service bar unaccompanied minors under 18 from using its robotaxis — even though some parents in San Francisco have already been sending their kids to ride solo in Waymos for some time. It's a big bet by the company that parents will trust its driverless cars enough to send their children alone to ride in them. In some ways, the move mirrors Uber's decision a few years ago to allow teens to start using its service without their parents. As such, there are a number of safeguards in place to allow parents to keep track of their children. Adult customers can use their own Waymo One account to invite their teen into the program, pairing their accounts together. Teens can also share their real-time location with their parents while they're riding. And 'specially trained' remote operators will be available to assist during the rides — and may even loop in the teen's parents if necessary. Waymo has been testing teen accounts with a select group of riders for months now, and is now rolling it out to the broader Phoenix area. The company didn't say if or when it plans on rolling out the service in its other markets. Security researcher and tech sleuth Jane Manchun Wong was the first to report on Waymo's experimentations, posting a screenshot of a teen account landing page back in March. (Wong was also the first to report Waymo's 'tipping' donation feature, and its idea to use footage from its interior cameras to train generative AI.) The company also sent out a survey last year asking its customers what they would want from teen accounts. The survey noted a number of advantages, including no strangers in the vehicles, no distracted driving, and flexible scheduling. Waymo also mentioned a number of aesthetic upgrades, like snacks, karaoke, or teen-styled graphics — though none of those suggestions seem to have made through to the final product. Waymo provided a number of supportive quotes from its teen riders who have been testing the service. And with the share of teenagers with driver's licenses dropping, Waymo's timing could be particularly ripe. Gen Z is more likely to ride public transit, use Uber or Lyft, or hop on an e-bike or shared scooter than drive a car, recent studies have shown. And parents, increasingly stressed out by all their kids' obligations, are looking for an extra hand in transportation. Of course, the risks are also present. Waymo still struggles occasionally with certain traffic patterns, and its vehicles do sometimes get in minor fender benders. The company says the data proves that its self-driving cars are better at avoiding crashes and injuries than human drivers. But younger riders could be less adept at navigating certain situations than adults — which makes its remote operators even more important.
TechCrunch
18-06-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
A glitch is turning Threads into a literal echo chamber
We've heard it all — X is turning into a right-wing echo chamber, Bluesky is a liberal bubble, and so on. But a glitch on Threads has turned these concerns into a reality: everyone is saying the same exact thing over and over again. In a bug affecting some Threads users on desktop and mobile, it appears that one user's post will get repeated over and over again, looking as though every user on your feed is saying the same thing. 'Siri, unsubscribe me from 2025,' one Threads user wrote, per a screenshot from social media expert Alexa Heinrich. But then, everyone else on Henrich's feed appeared to be echoing the same cheugy joke, all begging for Apple's beleaguered AI to save them from a news cycle of constant horrors. Image Credits:Alexa Heinrich on Threads Meta's apps have committed a couple of faux pas lately, but this Threads error leans more silly than harmful. Meanwhile, some users were unknowingly posting their conversations with Meta AI onto a public feed last week, revealing personal information about medical issues, contact information, legal concerns, and more. While it's not yet clear what caused the bug, Meta Communications Director Andy Stone responded to app researcher Jane Manchun Wong's post about the issue. 'Whoops, well that clearly shouldn't have happened! We're working on getting it fixed now,' Stone said. 'Whoops, well that clearly shouldn't have happened! We're working on getting it fixed now,' Wong replied. Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Threads is testing a feature that lets you follow the same creators you follow on X
Meta is starting to test a new feature in Threads that lets users follow the same creators they follow on X, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. 'We're currently testing a way for you to find and follow creators from other platforms on Threads, making it easier to connect with the people and conversations that matter to you," said Meta spokesperson Alec Booker in an emailed statement. In recent years, several creators have left X for competing platforms, such as Threads and Bluesky, but have lost their massive followings in the process. Meanwhile, some users have reportedly struggled to create the same communities they had fostered for years on X. This feature aims to make that migration easier for creators and users who are just getting set up on Threads. The feature, currently in beta testing, was first spotted by security researcher and former Meta employee Jane Manchun Wong. When opening the Threads mobile app on Wednesday, some users, including TechCrunch, were shown a pop-up saying they can now "Find popular creators from X." The pop-up takes users to the beta feature, which provides instructions on how to download their following list from X and import it to Threads. It's unclear how exactly Meta is matching creators on the X platform to their profiles on Threads. Meta says the product will work for "popular creators," but perhaps not everyone you follow on X. Meta did not immediately respond to TechCrunch's request for comment on the matter. That said, features like this are helping Threads become a solid alternative to X, with a steady growth rate. In January, Meta reported that Threads had more than 320 million monthly active users (MAUs), up from 300 million MAUs in December. While every company measures MAUs differently, it seems Threads is now on a comparable scale to X. This article originally appeared on TechCrunch at Sign in to access your portfolio
