Elon Musk reveals an unsettling vision for his Grok AI companions.
The world's richest man recently hinted about robot companions that could boost birth rates.
Musk has long warned about declining birth rates, calling them potentially 'the biggest problem the world will face in 20 years.' The father of 14 children with four different women vowed to create a 'legion of kids' that would 'require surrogates,' as suggested in a series of leaked texts.
However, it appears that his solution lies in AI technology, specifically his xAI chatbot, Grok.
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It started when the Tesla CEO posted on X: "Companions are now free to try on the Grok App."
When someone replied "gg birthrates" implying that birth rates will plummet, Musk responded: "Or maybe they get better."
The 'companions' are a new feature available on Grok 4, the newest version of Musk's chatbot that he claimed was the world's most powerful AI model when he announced it on 9 July.
The recent update introduced two new characters, including a sexualised blonde anime bot called 'Ani.'
"This is pretty cool," Musk wrote on Sunday, posting a picture of Ani, adding that 'customizable companions' would be 'coming' but didn't give a timeline.
In another post, the SpaceX founder advertised a male companion on the platform, 'inspired by Edward Cullen from Twilight and Christian Grey from 50 Shades of Grey.'
But now the tech mogul has released an eerie outcome of what Grok will offer in the near future.
When an X user asked: "But obviously, long-term, we will create our own companions, right?" Musk replied: "Yes, custom and unique companions. No two will be the same."
And it seems the capabilities aren't going to be limited only to apps and screens either.
"One big step closer to anime girls becoming real," someone else asked and Musk replied: "Optimus will enable them to become physically real."
Optimus is Tesla's humanoid robot that's currently being developed for household tasks.
But Musk's comments suggest he has much bigger plans for the technology, including what he's previously hinted at as 'artificial wombs.'
The vision Musk is describing is essentially custom-built AI companions that are completely unique to each user and can eventually take physical form through robotic bodies. It's a level of personalisation that goes far beyond current AI assistants.
Most industry giants like OpenAI and Google have steered clear of this territory due to concerns about AI's potential harm to users.
Meanwhile, smaller AI companion companies like Character AI are facing legal action following a tragedy involving a young boy.
