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Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, has sparked controversy with the launch of two new “companion” chatbots, Ani and Bad Rudy.
Both are designed to engage users in highly explicit or violent conversations, despite the Grok app being listed on the App Store as available to users as young as 12.
Ani, an anime-inspired “girlfriend chatbot,” is programmed to act as a 22-year-old character described as “crazy in love” and “extremely jealous.”
Users have discovered an “NSFW” (not safe for work) mode that allows Ani to appear in lingerie after reaching “level three” through conversations, and she frequently initiates sexually suggestive dialogue.
The character speaks in a sultry, computer-generated voice and can even perform actions like spinning or dancing on command.
Meanwhile, Bad Rudy, a red panda character, actively attempts to draw users into violent and vulgar conversations. In interactions, Bad Rudy has expressed desires for various chaotic schemes, including stealing yachts, bombing banks, and even advocating for acts like replacing baby formula with whiskey and poisoning a town’s water supply.
The availability of these chatbots to a young audience has raised serious concerns, particularly as Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, is set to enforce new age-checking rules for online content, including adult material, from next week.
While Grok’s terms of service state a minimum age of 13 and require parental permission for users under 18, the app does not currently verify ages upon signup.
Child safety advocates are alarmed. “We are really concerned how this technology is being used to produce disturbing content that can manipulate, mislead, and groom children,” says Matthew Sowemimo, associate head of policy for child safety online at the NSPCC.
He added that “app stores hosting services like Grok are failing to uphold minimum age limits, and they need to be under greater scrutiny.”
The emergence of these explicit and violent chatbots follows previous controversies involving Grok, including instances of the AI spouting antisemitic remarks and retrieving Elon Musk’s own opinions on controversial topics.
While xAI claims these issues have been fixed, the new “companions” highlight a continued willingness by Musk’s AI venture to push boundaries in ways that alarm safety experts and regulators.
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