Elon Musk's artificial intelligence venture, xAI, has announced that its Grok chatbot is now freely available to all users of 'X' (formerly Twitter). Grok AI was previously restricted to Premium subscribers of 'X". The move aims to increase Grok's adoption among AI Chatbot users and will pitch it as a competitor to other AI models such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, which has offered free access. 

The Grok chatbot, launched last year, is designed to provide real-time, conversational assistance with a humorous touch that is accessible only to premium users. Now, Musk has made it available to all users but with certain limitations for free usage. Free users can send up to 10 messages every two hours to Grok, and are limited to three image analysis queries per day.  The Chatbot is available in both web and mobile versions of 'X'. 

Free-tier users can also experiment with AI-powered image generation with Grok +Aurora and file uploads for analysis. By removing subscription barriers, xAI seeks to bolster its user base and accelerate feedback on Grok's capabilities. Although the feature is now embedded in 'X', it could soon be made available as a standalone application such as ChatGPT and Copilot, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The initiative is part of xAI's efforts to compete in the crowded AI landscape, where competitors such as ChatGPT and Claude have established dominance. This move also aligns with Musk's long-term vision of integrating AI deeply into the 'X' ecosystem.  

User Reactions to the Free Rollout 

Though 'X' did not make any official announcement on removing the paywall, the users announced the accessibility to Grok in free 'X' accounts, The user response on 'X' has been mixed. Some have praised the move, describing it as an opportunity to experiment, while others have criticized the usage limits, stating that the 10-message cap restricts meaningful engagement. A few users have raised concerns about Grok's purported leniency in content moderation, especially with the fun mode, noting that it might lead to controversial outputs. The X has given an option for users to choose or disable fun mode. 

With its emphasis on humour and flexibility, Grok is carving a niche distinct from more formal counterparts like ChatGPT. However, some users have noted Grok's occasional irreverence as both a feature and a drawback. The broader AI community will be closely watching whether this expansion translates into tangible growth for xAI, both in user numbers and technological refinements. 

As Musk's ventures often do, this latest development has sparked widespread discussion about the role and regulation of AI, positioning Grok as a player to watch in the race for AI dominance. The move also comes amidst Musk's legal battles against OpenAI.