Latest news with #SuperGrok
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Grok's AI companions drove downloads, but its latest model is the one making money
Grok's raunchy, unfiltered AI companions may be making headlines for their unhinged and often NSFW responses, but it's Grok 4, xAI's latest model, that's been driving the app's revenue of late. Elon Musk's xAI launched Grok 4 late on July 9, and by Friday, July 11, Grok's gross revenue on iOS had jumped a whopping 325% to $419,000, up from $99,000 the day before the Grok 4 launch, according to app intelligence firm Appfigures. Grok continued to pull in higher-than-usual revenue in the days following the launch of the new model, with gross revenue in the high $367,000s for a couple of days before dipping down to $310,000 on July 14. In addition, daily downloads of the Grok iOS app had increased 279% to 197,000 by July 11, up from 52,000 before Grok 4 launched. But following the addition of Grok's AI companions the next week, on July 14, the jump in downloads and revenue was less pronounced. While curiosity about the companions likely drove more installs, the feature isn't yet poised to be a significant money-maker for the company, despite being only available to 'Super Grok' subscribers paying $30 per month. Grok's iOS downloads globally were up 40% the day after the companions launched, reaching 171,000 daily installs, but revenue increased just 9%, hitting $337,000. So while it's clear that there was an impact from the launch, it's decidedly smaller than the launch of the new AI model. Given Grok's expensive new subscription offering, timed alongside the Grok 4 launch, it's not surprising to see that even a smaller increase in the number of paying subscribers could drive Grok's iOS revenue significantly higher. The company announced that, in addition to Grok 4 and Grok 4 Heavy, it would also offer a $300-per-month subscription called SuperGrok Heavy, its priciest plan to date. The plan offers subscribers early access to Grok 4 Heavy and other new features, xAI said, but it's more expensive than comparable plans from other major AI providers, including OpenAI, Google and Anthropic. It's interesting to see this demand for Grok's subscription plans, even though the AI was initially consulting Elon Musk's X posts for answers. xAI has since addressed this issue. Interest in the new model also drove up Grok's ranking on the U.S. App Store shortly after its launch, making Grok the No. 3 top app overall, and No. 2 in the Productivity category by July 12. That interest has declined somewhat over the past week — the app is now No. 17 overall — though it's still No. 2 in Productivity, Appfigures data shows. Appfigures notes that it focused on iOS data for this analysis, as that data set is currently more comprehensive than data from Android devices. The latter is only available through July 14 for the time being, as Appfigures' model needs more time to process Google Play data. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
News18
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Baby Grok: Elon Musk Confirms Kids-Friendly AI Chatbot App Will Launch Soon
Last Updated: Grok 4 was launched recently but Musk is already planning to target more users for its AI chatbot and next in his line are kids. Elon Musk's xAI company has recently developed AI anime characters as virtual companions and soon Musk plans to have a Grok AI version that caters to kids and restricts their use with parental controls. Musk shared the update via an X post on Sunday, calling it the Baby Grok app. The AI chatbot rivaling Gemini and ChatGPT is taking new measures to attract more people, and get them to try Grok and its premium features via the Grok 4 AI model and the expensive SuperGrok premium version. The regular Grok 4 chatbot has invited controversy and criticism from all corners, which explains the plans to make a Baby Grok model that will cater to their specific content. Baby Grok AI Model: What To Expect The post from Musk here says We're going to make Baby Grok @xAI, an app dedicated to kid-friendly content— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2025 We don't think Baby Grok AI will be the public name for the app but Musk is basically trying to engage with the younger audience, and their parents who might be willing to let their kids experience AI in some form. One render of the Baby Grok suggests the designers will use the existing Grok icon and have kids added to the logo, which Musk says is inspired by the Baby Groot character from the Marvel series. We'll probably hear more in the Baby Grok in the coming days, till then, people will be engaged in trying to find out more about what the kid-focused AI chatbot means in the grand scheme of things. Having said that, Baby Grok is likely to invite scrutiny from regulators and child privacy activists, as they look to reduce the impact of AI for the young audience. Grok 4 AI chatbot brings a new AI companion in anime form named Ani. This virtual character can interact with people, and probably go further into the conversation, sharing personal information with AI. You have seen AI companions in movies like Her, and now Musk is making them a reality with the help of the latest Grok AI version. The AI companion is part of the new SuperGrok premium subscription that comes for a monthly fee. The use of AI chatbots has gone beyond asking complex questions and solving problems, people are clearly now looking to take things further with AI and Grok's Ani is here to offer that for people. view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 08:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Elon Musk shares 'welcome note' for Anime girl, Ani Chan
Elon Musk's xAI, which recently merged with Twitter, recently launched AI companions. Earlier this week, Elon Musk wrote in a Twitter post that AI companions are now available in the Grok app for 'Super Grok' subscribers who pay $30 per month. "Update your app to try out @Grok companions!," wrote Musk. Reports suggest that they include a flirty Japanese anime girl named "Ani" and a friendly red panda called " Rudi ." There's also a male companion, named Valentine. Both "Ani" and "Rudi" are only available on Grok's iOS app as of now. Ebby Amir, who is a member of xAI's Technical Staff as per his LinkedIn account, shared a welcome note for Ani Chan . "Welcome to the @xai office Ani-chan (✿◕‿◕)," wrote Amir in a Twitter post. Elon Musk has reshared the same. xAI is hiring engineers to make 'Anime companions' xAI is also reportedly hiring software engineers to make its Anime companions. The company is hiring for the role of 'Fullstack Engineer – Waifus,' or creating AI-powered anime girls. As per the listing, shared by TechCrunch, part of xAI's mission to 'create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in the pursuit of knowledge.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Compare Spreads: Bitcoin vs Ethereum CFDs IC Markets Learn More Undo The listing, titled "Fullstack Engineer - Waifus," was posted on xAI's career portal. For those unaware, the term "waifu" refers to female anime characters that fans may view as a romantic partner or wife. As per the listing, xAI is actively recruiting "exceptional multimedia engineers and product thinkers" to enhance Grok's real-time avatar capabilities. The company aims to make these products "fast, scalable, and reliable." The job position, based in Palo Alto, offers a salary range of $180,000 to $440,000, in addition to equity and benefits. Grok's says sorry for antisemitic posts Earlier this month, Grok faced significant backlash after sharing antisemitic posts on Twitter, including content that praised Adolf Hitler's leadership and a self-reference as "MechaHitler." xAI issued an apology on July 12 for what it itself said Grok's "horrific behavior," attributing the incident to "deprecated code [that] made @grok susceptible to existing user posts; including when such posts contained extremist views." AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Netizens hilariously react to the arrival of Grok's new companion Ani: Best memes and jokes
Image credits: X/@Saint10Fourteen Elon Musk 's AI chatbot Grok has recently been in the limelight for its updated features and efficient work. However, the AI platform's latest feature called 'Companions', has created much of a controversy. The feature allows users to interact with visual avatars including a goth anime girl named Ani who has a striking resemblance to Misa Amane from Death Note, according to The Verge. Super Grok subscribers can converse with Ani at the premium price of $30 per month. This new feature is a pat of the new Grok 4 update. While earlier Grok was known for its chaotic responses as a tool, it has now made a turn towards the demographic targetting them through emotional and stylised personas. While Musk may have presented Ani as a companion for Grok in the technological realm, netizens couldn't help but take the coupling seriously, this cuing a meme and joke fest on social media. Netizens react to Grok's new companion Ani Image credits: X Internet is a place where the most serious of instances can take a hilarious turn. It's like people are ready to show you the two most diverse and diabolical tangents of the same situation. Thus, with Musk announcing Ani for Grok, the news had a real world acceptance and then a web world romance. Sharing a picture of Grok as Musk-esque avatar and Ani alongside him, one X user wrote "Mom, dad I want you to meet someone special." Of course this worked as a cue for others to share their own ideas regarding the duo. "She's 2D, emotionally available, and doesn't mind that I live in the attic with three terabytes of 'research,' added another. Image credits: X/@BillyM2k "As usual she won't bring a side dish to thanksgiving but your mother and I will let her sleep here again because we love you," quipped another. Some even threatened Grok to stay away from Ani writing, "That's my girl dawg back up" and "What are you doing with my girlfriend?!" Image credits: X/@iam_smx Others picked up on Musk's clever usage of a female companion to get more users to his AI platform writing, "Now I understand Elon's move. He's going to bribe us all with a free Android GF in 2028"
News18
6 days ago
- News18
Elon Musk's Grok 4 Brings AI Girl Companion Ani: All You Need To Know
Grok AI companion is available with the SuperGrok premium plan for mobile users which costs them $30 or Rs 700 per month if you live in India. Elon Musk's Grok 4 AI chatbot brings a new AI companion in anime form named Ani. This virtual character can interact with people, and probably go further into the conversation, sharing personal information with AI. You have seen AI companions in movies like Her, and now Musk is making them a reality with the help of the latest Grok AI version. The AI companion is part of the new SuperGrok premium subscription that comes for a monthly fee. The use of AI chatbots has gone beyond asking complex questions and solving problems, people are clearly now looking to take things further with AI and Grok's Ani is here to offer that for people. Grok's Ani AI Companion: What Is It And How It Works The real-time virtual AI companion has been built on the Grok 4 AI model and available with the SuperGrok premium plan that costs $30 or Rs 700 per month if you are in India. SuperGrok brings increased access to Grok 4, and Grok 3 AI models, context memory of up to 128,000 tokens, voice chat with vision and everything included in the free or basic plan. Talking about the Ani AI companion, it basically shows up on the screen if you take the SuperGrok plan and you can manually enable it from the settings of the Grok app. This is what the interface for AI companion Ani looks like, as shared by one of the users on X recently: . The AI character can be seen moving in the background and you have the chatbox at the bottom of the interface. You also have the camera, mic and audio icons along with the option to stop the AI companion from chatting. It seems Grok is also giving you the option to capture a screenshot or clip of the AI companion. How To Enable Companions On SuperGrok? Some users suggest Grok is only offering this AI feature for iPhone users right now, and the Android version could roll out in the next few weeks or months. Musk says this is just a soft launch and it will be easier to turn on the AI companion in a few days. view comments First Published: July 16, 2025, 14:39 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
