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Published on
November 11, 2024
5 min read
Elon Musk’s X Platform Commences Grok AI Chatbot Testing On Free Users
Social media giant, X has reportedly commenced Grok AI chatbot testing with free users. According to TechCrunch, X had previously limited access to Grok to paying users only.
The Grok free version comes with limited usage. Users can only ask 10 questions every 2 hours on the Grok-2 model, three image analysis queries per day, and 20 queries every two hours on the Grok-2 mini model.
Regional Access
Several social media users and app researchers posted information about the X AI free access experiment and the availability of Grok free version in specific regions. It has been confirmed that X is already testing Grok with free users in New Zealand.
Grok was first unveiled in November 2023. At the time, it was part of the X Premium+ subscription plan. Users paid $16 each month or $201.60 yearly to use the feature. X has been promoting Grok as a witty alternative to other AI assistants. It’s capable of adding a sense of humor to user interactions and can access real-time information on X.
xAI unveiled Grok-2 in August 2024. The chatbot came with image generation capabilities and is backed by the FLUX.1 model, which is owned by Black Forest Lab. In October 2024, xAI boosted Grok-2’s capacity to understand images. These features were previously accessible to Premium+ and Premium users only.
User Requirements
To access the free version of Grok, users must have an X account that has been in existence for at least 7 days. Users should have linked the account to their phone number as well.
By giving free users access to Grok, xAI is looking to gather feedback about its products faster and from a significant range of its user base. This feedback is critical in improving Grok to make it more competitive in the market. Grok faces high competition from other models including ChatGPT search, Google’s Gemini, and Claude.
Impact on Premium Subscriptions
Although X users have welcomed the improvements that xAI added to Grok-2, some users criticized X for offering the X AI chatbot in limited regions. The timelines for the widespread release of the free version are still unclear even though such a rollout could expand the uptake of Grok AI chatbot.
X has been relying on X premium subscriptions to diversify its revenue streams. It remains to be seen how the current move will affect the social media giant’s revenues considering that Grok was one of the key features it offered Premium and Premium+ users.
