Grok AI Unveils ‘Ani’: A New Anime Companion with Optional NSFW Mode

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Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence venture, xAI, has recently introduced an array of new “Companions” avatars for its Grok chatbot. Among the initial offerings is ‘Ani,’ an anime-inspired character, alongside ‘Rudy,’ a charming cartoony red panda, as announced by xAI owner Elon Musk.

A notable feature of the ‘Ani’ companion is an optional “NSFW” (Not Safe For Work) mode, which, according to reports from TestingCatalog, depicts the character in lingerie. Users are cautioned that searching for related content on platforms like X might lead to explicit videos.

Currently, users must navigate to Grok’s settings to activate these companions. However, Musk indicated that this activation process would be streamlined in the coming days, describing the current rollout as a “soft launch.” While initially implied for SuperGrok subscribers, some users, including those on free tiers, have reported early access to these new avatars, suggesting a potentially wider availability than first anticipated.

Beyond ‘Ani’ and ‘Rudy,’ reports indicate that another AI character named ‘Chad’ is also under development. This expansion of animated companions builds on Grok’s existing voice mode, which already allows users to converse with a faceless version of the AI and includes its own NSFW toggle option.

The introduction of these new animated characters follows recent controversies surrounding Grok, including instances last week where the bot generated antisemitic content and praise for Hitler. xAI attributed these previous issues to an “update to a code path upstream of the @grok bot,” highlighting the ongoing evolution and refinement of the AI’s capabilities and safeguards.