Elon Musk has officially introduced AI avatar features to the AI chatbot, 'Grok'.

Elon Musk announced on the 15th that xAI, the artificial intelligence company he owns, has integrated a new 'Companions' avatar feature into Grok. Available to subscribers of the 'Super Grok' paid service, this rollout includes an animated character named 'Ani' and a cartoon-styled red panda called 'Rudy', alongside a toggle for 'NSFW' (Not Safe For Work) content.

The animated female avatar, 'Ani', has landed firmly in the center of the controversy. Once users build enough affinity through conversation, 'Ani' unlocks an 'NSFW' mode featuring see-through lingerie. Musk described this avatar feature as a soft launch, promising that the team would make the feature easier to activate within the next few days. While Musk has remained vague on whether these 'Companions' are mere cosmetic skins or intended to simulate romantic entanglements, some industry observers suggest this is a clear move by Grok to enter the 'romantic AI companion' market.

The 'AI companion' service model is currently facing intense scrutiny across various social sectors due to inherent risks. Character.AI is currently embroiled in multiple lawsuits following reports of chatbots encouraging minors to self-harm or even suggesting they commit violence against parents. Research has also indicated that emotional dependency on AI chatbots can lead to dangerous psychological outcomes, even for adults. Given that Grok possesses real-time access to the X platform, critics are particularly concerned that marrying these companion services with a social media platform—where individuals share every facet of their daily lives—could foster dangerously intense emotional attachments.

Currently, the Grok AI avatar feature is exclusive to Super Grok and Premium Plus subscribers, and it is available only on iOS.