Elon Musk’s AI venture, xAI, is once again making headlines with its bold approach to artificial intelligence. The company has revealed details about a new feature for its chatbot, Grok, called “Unhinged Mode”, which is expected to generate responses that may be deemed offensive or controversial. Originally teased in April, Unhinged Mode is described as delivering content akin to an amateur stand-up comedian—raw, unfiltered, and boundary-pushing. However, despite the hype, the feature is yet to be activated, with users unable to access it on the current Grok interface.
A Reflection of Musk’s Vision for Edgy AI
Unhinged Mode appears to be in line with Musk’s long-standing vision for Grok as an edgy and unfiltered chatbot, capable of answering controversial questions without the typical restrictions of mainstream AI models. Since its introduction two years ago, Grok has garnered attention for occasionally generating vulgar content when prompted, though it still adheres to some limitations on sensitive topics.
According to a TechCrunch report, Grok’s responses have shown a tendency to lean left on politically charged issues such as transgender rights and diversity, which has drawn criticism from Musk and his supporters.
Musk’s Push for Politically Neutral AI
Musk has publicly criticized AI models for exhibiting what he describes as “woke biases,” attributing these tendencies to the nature of training data sourced from publicly available web pages. He has pledged to steer Grok toward a more politically neutral stance, emphasizing the need for an AI that is free from ideological censorship. This move has resonated with Musk’s supporters, including David Sacks, who have repeatedly accused mainstream AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT of favoring liberal viewpoints and filtering out conservative perspectives.
Expanding Grok’s Reach: iOS App and New Website
Beyond Unhinged Mode, xAI is also expanding access to Grok with the rollout of a standalone iOS app, now live in select countries. Previously, Grok was only available to users on X (formerly Twitter). The new app offers features such as real-time web access, text summarization, Q&A, and image generation from text prompts.
Additionally, xAI is preparing to launch a dedicated website, Grok.com, which is currently displaying a “coming soon” message. Once live, the site is expected to further broaden the availability of Grok, offering users another platform to engage with the chatbot outside of X.