People who pay for access to SuperGrok can now try the AI chatbot’s new “Companions” avatars, xAI owner Elon Musk announced Monday morning. The companions available currently include Ani, an anime avatar, and Rudy, a cartoony red panda.

Musk's Grok AI just dropped a new Companion modes, featuring a flirty anime chatbot called Ani, and it has got the internet buzzing.

Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok introduces AI companions, customisable 3D characters, enhancing user engagement for Super AI subscribers.

Elon Musk's Grok introduces AI companions, including the controversial goth anime girl, Ani, for premium subscribers. This shift from inflammatory remarks to intimate digital interactions raises concerns about emotional AI's future.

This marks a shift in the AI wars. Instead of just competing on intelligence or reasoning, Musk wants Grok to feel more personal, more addictive, and more human, or at least more fun. But the reactions online show that people are split. SuperGrok now has two new companions for you, say hello to Ani and Rudy! pic.twitter.com/SRrV6T0MGT

An AI model launched last week appears to have shipped with an unexpected occasional behavior: checking what its owner thinks first.