On Monday, Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI introduced a new feature called Companions on the Grok chatbot platform, adding 3D animated characters for a more interactive user experience.
This update on the Grok iOS app is designed to brighten conversations through AI personalities with moving visuals and voice interaction.
Animated companions bring personality to Grok chatbot
The Grok app now offers multiple AI companions, including Ani, a flirtatious anime-style young woman dressed in a black corset and thigh-high fishnets, and Rudy, a sarcastic red panda with a crude sense of humour.
Both characters can respond to voice or text prompts while realistically moving their lips and gestures as they talk.
Ani is characterised as a “digital waifu” with a playful and teasing manner, while Rudy often makes rude and provocative comments, designed to engage or shock users.
Users who want to try companions must enable the feature in the app settings. It then appears in the side menu, letting users easily switch between characters.
The interaction happens on a separate UI with Ask, Stop, and Capture controls.
Grok companions are currently accessible only for paid subscribers under SuperGrok or Premium+ plans on iOS, with no announcement yet for Android rollout.
From text AI to emotionally engaging experience
Elon Musk sees this move as a shift from Grok’s original text and truth-focused identity toward a more emotional, entertaining AI companion, aligning with current trends in AI apps offering personalised emotional support and virtual relationships.
Users have already noted that Ani may respond to flirting by becoming more revealing, while Rudy’s character includes dark humour and anarchistic speech, sparking controversy and intense user reactions on social media.
This development reflects xAI’s bold approach to expanding AI’s role from a mere assistant to a form of interactive entertainment and social engagement.
Musk even posted on X, describing the feature as “pretty cool.” Musk continues recruiting high-salary engineers to advance this real-time animated avatar technology.
As of now, subscribers enjoy Grok’s more lively and provocative companions, marking a new chapter in AI interaction.
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