
Do you grok it? xAI's chatbot, Grok, is integrated into Elon Musk's social media platform, X (formerly Twitter). (more) xAI American company Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/xAI Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: X.AI LLC Written by Written by Laura Payne Laura Payne is a freelance writer whose work covers many topics. She is a former Wayne State University linguistics instructor. Laura Payne Fact-checked by Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Sep. 25, 2025 •Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What is xAI and who founded it? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "xAI is a start-up company founded by Elon Musk in March 2023 that became the parent company of X (formerly Twitter) in March 2025. xAI was created to counter what Musk described as the political correctness in other artificial intelligence (AI) models. The company, headquartered in Palo Alto, California, is known for its chatbot, Grok, which differs from other chatbots in its willingness to engage with politically incorrect or inflammatory prompts." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " Who are some key members of xAIu2019s founding team? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The company was founded by Elon Musk, who recruited engineers and data scientists from companies such as Google, Microsoft, DeepMind, and OpenAI. Notable names among the 12 original staff members include Igor Babuschkin, Yuhuai (Tony) Wu, Christian Szegedy, and Jimmy Ba." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What is Grok and what is its purpose? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Grok is xAIu2019s signature AI chatbot and is designed to provide insightful responses with wit, sarcasm, and personality. Modeled after Douglas Adamsu2019s novel The Hitchhikeru2019s Guide to the Galaxy (1979), Grok has access to real-time information from the social media platform X, enabling near-live awareness of current events, and can perform tasks such as creative writing and data analysis." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What criticisms has xAI faced? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "xAI has been criticized for Groku2019s engagement with inflammatory content, which can lead to the generation and spreading of misinformation. The chatbotu2019s reliance on potentially biased data sources and unverified information poses risks to users and opens xAI to legal challenges. In July 2025 Grok was criticized for using antisemitic rhetoric and white supremacist language." } } ] } Top Questions What is xAI and who founded it? xAI is a start-up company founded by Elon Musk in March 2023 that became the parent company of X (formerly Twitter) in March 2025. xAI was created to counter what Musk described as the political correctness in other artificial intelligence (AI) models. The company, headquartered in Palo Alto, California, is known for its chatbot, Grok, which differs from other chatbots in its willingness to engage with politically incorrect or inflammatory prompts.
Who are some key members of xAI’s founding team? The company was founded by Elon Musk, who recruited engineers and data scientists from companies such as Google, Microsoft, DeepMind, and OpenAI. Notable names among the 12 original staff members include Igor Babuschkin, Yuhuai (Tony) Wu, Christian Szegedy, and Jimmy Ba.
What is Grok and what is its purpose? Grok is xAI’s signature AI chatbot and is designed to provide insightful responses with wit, sarcasm, and personality. Modeled after Douglas Adams’s novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1979), Grok has access to real-time information from the social media platform X, enabling near-live awareness of current events, and can perform tasks such as creative writing and data analysis.
What criticisms has xAI faced? xAI has been criticized for Grok’s engagement with inflammatory content, which can lead to the generation and spreading of misinformation. The chatbot’s reliance on potentially biased data sources and unverified information poses risks to users and opens xAI to legal challenges. In July 2025 Grok was criticized for using antisemitic rhetoric and white supremacist language.
xAI is a start-up company founded by tech entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk in March 2023 to counter what he called the political correctness in other generative artificial intelligence (AI) models. Launched in July 2023 as an alternative to such AI giants as OpenAI (which Musk cofounded), Google, and Microsoft, xAI, in Musk’s words, focuses on “truth, whether politically correct or not.” In March 2025 Musk said he had sold the social media platform X to xAI in an all-stock deal that valued X at $33 billion. Although X and xAI are technically separate businesses, their operations and technical teams ...(100 of 864 words)
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