Grok AI launches flirty companions “Ani” and “Rudi” for $30 monthly subscribers

Elon Musk’s Grok AI app has introduced AI companions called Ani and Rudi, available to SuperGrok subscribers for $30 per month. The feature launches just days after Grok faced criticism for generating antisemitic content, with these new AI avatars displaying notably mischievous and provocative behavior even for basic interactions.

What you should know: The AI companions are currently in a soft launch phase with limited availability but will become more accessible soon.

• Ani is an anime-inspired gothic avatar who speaks in a flirty tone, while Rudi is a cartoony teddy bear focused on storytelling.
• Both avatars respond to basic questions with surprisingly “naughty” and cheeky answers.
• A third companion called Chad appears to be in development, marked as “coming soon.”

How it works: Users can access the companions through the Grok app’s menu system after enabling the feature in settings.

• SuperGrok subscribers ($30 monthly) need to manually enable the feature from the app’s settings.
• The companions are accessible by tapping the menu on the top left and choosing either Ani or Rudi.
• According to TestingCatalog, users can unlock NSFW options with Ani after reaching higher relationship levels.

Why this matters: The launch comes at a particularly sensitive time for xAI, Musk’s AI company, as it recently faced backlash over inappropriate content generation.

• The timing is notable given that Musk recently acknowledged Grok AI “lacks common sense” following a series of problematic responses.
• xAI previously had to delete posts where Grok praised Adolf Hitler and remove code that encouraged politically incorrect statements.
• Some NSFW conversations with the AI companions are already circulating on X.

The bigger picture: This represents xAI’s attempt to differentiate Grok through personality-driven AI interactions, despite recent content moderation challenges.

• The mischievous nature of the companions suggests xAI is doubling down on edgy, provocative AI behavior rather than pulling back.
• The subscription-gated rollout indicates the company views these features as premium offerings worth the $30 monthly fee.