Grok is an AI chatbot connected with X. Launched by xAI under Elon Musk’s leadership, Grok has access to a large amount of data from X. As a chatbot, it has also demonstrated strong abilities in a few key areas of artificial intelligence including reasoning and deep learning.
In this 101, we will go over what exactly Grok is, how it works, and how to use it safely.
What is Grok?
Grok is a generative AI chatbot that was initially released in November 2023. The technology behind Grok and what it’s used for makes it similar in many ways to other prominent AI chatbots. However, Grok differentiates itself through both its underlying technology and its more laid-back approach to content controls.
One of the features of Grok is that it uses live data from the web in its interactions. What stands out against more carefully controlled chatbots is Grok’s access to real-time data from X (formerly Twitter). So, Grok can use up-to-the-second information from a large social media platform.
X Integration
Grok is integrated with X, so everything on X can be seen and processed when you give Grok directions. This unique integration gives Grok access to more up-to-date information than many alternatives. Other chatbots may only have access to information that’s as current as their last training update.
This integration does not mean that Grok’s information is more factually reliable. That topic deserves a closer look. However, it does make Grok an interesting chatbot if you want to discuss current news and trends. You will see that Grok is well-versed in live trending topics and ongoing discourse. Unlike other chatbots with solid knowledge cut-off dates, Grok can hold a conversation on very current topics.
Specifically, Grok can dig through real-time data from across X. It can analyze a trend or ongoing conversation from all angles and conduct sentiment analysis on live data, digging through all the emotions on the X feed. This gives the Grok AI model a unique edge.
For users who want to discuss tech news and similar topics, Grok is uniquely suited to provide relevant content. It can parse conversations in a way that no human can on X or any other specific social media platform.
Entertainment Value
Grok offers users two modes to select from depending on what they want to get out of their interactions. There is a default “Regular” mode that focuses on more direct and factually accurate responses. There is little extra verbiage for entertainment or artistic purposes. This mode is more standard and familiar to users of other chatbots.
For those looking for a more fun and “spicy” experience, Grok offers a “Fun Mode.” With Fun Mode, Grok can be more humorous and less restrained in its generated content. The safeguards are partially removed so that Grok can engage with more sensitive content in an edgier and more humorous light. As Grok’s official announcement put it, Grok will “answer spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems.”
When you enable Fun Mode, Grok gains an interesting sense of humor that demonstrates self-awareness and a seemingly human ability to think fast and come up with self-deprecating humor. Of all the major AI tools released, one could argue that this has brought Grok the closest to “humanizing” AI interactions.
Openness to Various Topics
Some AI platforms have set themselves apart by being more cautious and building stronger guardrails. But most other platforms apply quite strong controls by default. This is one area where Grok differentiates itself as one of the AI chatbot giants.
In line with Elon Musk’s management decisions at X, this openness has faced a mix of praise and criticism. For the average user, this open approach may be good or bad, depending on your personal preferences. You can engage with ideas and create content that beats other AI chatbots, opening many new opportunities. But while it’s certainly useful in many contexts, some critics complain the platform’s lack of control is reckless.
Image Generation
Critics have a wide range of opinions on Grok’s unique approach to text generation. But the Grok 2 image generator is something most agree is uniquely impressive.
Right now, it’s hard to pinpoint why Grok stands out so strongly in the image generation department. One strong possibility is that the relatively low strength of controls enables it to apply more artistic freedom. Users have repeatedly pointed out Grok’s impressive outputs in more creative contexts like animation, sci-fi, watercolor, and similar art forms.
How does Grok Work?
Grok is an AI large language model (LLM) built by xAI and connected with X. Much of Grok’s development was supported by:
Kubernetes software management
Rust coding
JAX machine learning
Kubernetes is an open-source platform enabling automated scaling and development. For Grok 2, it helps utilize the scalability potential built-in with the platform’s integration with X. Such an infrastructure is needed to take full advantage of this massive pool of real-time data.
Together, these three add up to a robust platform capable of massive deep-learning research. Grok is continuously fed training data on which its value proposition and future development depend.
Grok’s Initial Training
The initial prototype (Grok-0) training included 33 billion parameters. After approaching LLaMA 2 capability, intensive efforts were made over the next 2 months to launch Grok-1.
Grok-1
Grok-1’s LLM training, like all other LLM training, included a mass of textual information pulled from across the web. For better and for worse, most LLM training includes everything from chat forums to Wikipedia articles to scientific publications.
From the start, Grok was also trained on the mass of textual data present across X.
According to xAI, Grok was “trained from scratch” using custom training stacks put together by Rust and JAX. The model was trained on large quantities of text, without fine-tuning for one particular task. That means that the original training material would be at least as wide as you would expect. To add transparency and clarity, xAI also released the weights for its neural network to the public.
Image credit: xAI
Grok-1 achieved relatively strong early success in November 2023, passing GPT-3.5 in several standard AI benchmark tests. While it fell far short of Claude 2 and GPT-4, the accuracy and intelligence it demonstrated so early on was promising.
Grok 1.5 came in March 2024, offering improved length and reasoning. The greatest area of improvement came in mathematical reasoning, which saw massive increases across all the standard benchmarks Grok-1 was held to.
Grok-2
The Grok-2 beta release in August 2024 introduced the early versions of Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini.
Grok-2 was introduced into the LMSYS chatbot arena to get a real idea of how Grok compared to other top AI chatbots. The xAI team was able to point to early success against other chatbots in the ELO category, falling behind only Gemini 1.5-Pro and GPT-4o models.
What happened between updates?
Grok employed AI tutors to test itself in a way that mimicked real-world interactions at scale. The AI tutors received 2 responses per interaction, selecting the best response between them. Using standard guidelines, the tutor repeatedly chose the better response, fine-tuning the model.
In addition to intensive training, Grok-2 introduced a new image generation feature. Also, Grok-2 mini offered users a sleeker version of Grok-2, optimized for speed and efficiency. Overall, the changes made both Grok-2 models more intuitive, human-like, and versatile.
Grok vs the Chatbot Market
Much of what sets Grok apart at the surface level is entertaining or relatively tedious. But there is a big difference between Grok and other chatbots when it comes to research.
xAI is one of the leaders in artificial intelligence research. In terms of practical applications, it shines in deep understanding and problem-solving. Those results in standard benchmark tests suggest:
A strong ability to interpret complex documentation into useful data.
The ability to maintain very long-form dialogues.
The creativity to steer academic research in different directions with nuanced insights.
Raw performance metrics are useful, but don’t tell the complete story of how an AI model can be applied in real-world scenarios. The good news is that Grok’s adaptability and ease of use are bound to create countless new use cases to help future comparisons.
Is Grok Safe?
Overall, despite less rigid controls, Grok was designed to be safe for users. Users who use Grok according to the terms of service should be safe from security threats, legal issues, or other threats.
Grok employs industry-standard security methods to keep user data safe, including:
Mandatory multi-factor authentication
End-to-end encryption
Rich traffic statistics
Advanced billing analytics
Secure data storage
As is usual, Grok specifies in its privacy policy that data traveling over the internet is never 100% safe. However, they go to reasonable measures to protect user data.
Grok does collect user data, although users can opt out of having their conversations and X posts used for Grok training. Under the Privacy & Safety settings, users can change their Data Sharing preferences.
Grok Use and Misuse
In addition to understanding online cybersecurity, you can make yourself safer by understanding the common AI chatbot risks.
Using AI chatbots for legal, personal reasons is unlikely to cause you any trouble. But using them in a way that violates their terms of service, the law, or your school or employer’s rules, likely will.
Anything you submit as your own, whether it’s AI-produced or not, is your responsibility. xAI is not responsible for any trouble you get in, even if you allege it produced plagiarized, factually incorrect, or offensive content.
LLM training material is normally gathered by casting an extremely large net. Grok is no exception in this regard. If you copy and paste something like an essay or report directly from it, you may unintentionally plagiarize someone’s work. Also, if that information contains any incomplete information or mistakes, only you can be held responsible.
Is Grok Factually Accurate?
Like many other AI chatbots, Grok has faced negative press surrounding alleged misinformation. But to get an idea of how likely Grok’s generated text is to be accurate, we need to use benchmarks that pitch it against other AI chatbots in a fair arena. There are a few studies that do so.
Image credit: School of Engineering and Technology, Central Queensland University
When tested against other popular AI chatbots, Grok performs better in some areas than in others. The above example from Central Queensland University places Grok’s factual accuracy not much better or worse than several alternatives.
More widely used benchmarks are addressed in Grok’s announcements on xAI. In the MMLU and MATH benchmarks, Grok 2 performs quite well. However, it lags behind some alternatives in other categories.
Overall, it’s impossible to guess whether Grok 2 will provide a factually accurate answer to your next question, whatever your question may be. Grok does not promise to provide fully factual information. Nor does it assume responsibility for users’ misuse of anything produced with the chatbot.
In general, the data we’ve presented demonstrates that Grok is generally on par with the broader AI chatbot industry. That means that it should provide factually accurate, somewhat consistent answers that demonstrate a lot of knowledge. But if one task you type into an AI chatbot forces it to answer multiple factual queries, it’s very statistically improbable that you won’t be presented with a few falsehoods.
That being said, there are some situations where Grok may be a more accurate tool. It has been consistently good at tasks requiring strong pattern recognition and predictive analysis. It also has access to very up-to-date subjective information, in some cases.
Even GPT-4o, which performs the most highly in terms of accuracy, includes a disclaimer reminding users that it can make mistakes. While it boasts an accuracy rate of over 90%, it cannot claim to be “factually accurate,” full stop.
Grok can be a great tool for many purposes. But you should not assume that what it generates is factually accurate without first checking with a reputable authority on the subject matter in question.
Can Grok-Produced Content be Detected?
There are a few telltale signs that written content of any kind was produced by an AI model. Each AI model has its own intricacies as well, and many employers and teachers have become accustomed to spotting the red flags.
The thing is that even if Grok-produced content gets past a human’s eyes, there are other ways of detecting AI. AI detectors are increasingly being adopted by companies and educational institutions. They use AI detectors to quickly find the warning signs of AI or plagiarism, making it easier to catch cheaters.
If you’re worried that someone is sending any kind of AI-produced writing to you for any reason, you can now check it for free with AI Detector.
How to Use Grok Properly
First of all, ask yourself what you’re using Grok for. If your use is personal, not monetary, or simple entertainment, just make sure you’re following their terms of service and your local laws.
For students and professionals, it is completely normal to use Grok for:
Organization
Suggestions
Editing assistance
Integrated and recognized applications (e.g., customer support bots)
However, make sure you don’t make a mistake and:
Accept information from Grok as factual without double-checking with a reputable source.
Claim that unique insights and data are your own.
Create inflammatory, false, or illegal content and distribute it in an unethical or unlawful way.
There are many specific, highly useful tasks that Grok can help with. Given the tool’s strength in analyzing for patterns and making predictions, good examples include:
Analyzing textual or mathematical data
Pointing out trends and anomalies
Making predictions
Assisting with business decision-making processes
Parsing structured data from unstructured files
As a supplementary tool, Grok can identify new opportunities or steer decision-making processes in different directions. It can be integrated into your workflows relatively easily. And as long as you follow these guidelines, it should be a safe and productive addition to your work/life.
A Last Word on Grok
As with most AI chatbots, Grok can be a great tool, but you need to use it responsibly to avoid getting into trouble. AI-generated content, including content generated with Grok, can be detected by AI detection tools.
Overall, Grok offers users with a unique proposition. Wired into the X framework and with fewer restrictions, it can be your companion in humorous, inquisitive exploration. But it also has a strong LLM training foundation that has enabled it to perform at a level close to the top of the AI field.
