Grok AI Assistant Becomes Standalone App

The Grok AI assistant, a feature originally integrated into the social media platform X, has now been launched as a standalone application. This new app retains many of the functions found in its original form, allowing users to generate images, summarize text, and provide answers to questions. The creator of Grok, xAI, describes the app's conversational style as "humorous and engaging."

Initially, the Grok app was tested with a limited user group starting in December 2024, coinciding with the introduction of a free tier for Grok that expanded access to anyone. Before this change, utilizing Grok required a subscription of at least $8 per month for X Premium users.

The standalone app may carry over certain limitations similar to those in the free access of Grok on X, such as a cap of 10 requests every two hours and three image analysis requests per day. Users can access the app without needing to sign in, or they can log in using an Apple, X, Google, or plain email account. However, it's unclear if having an X Premium subscription will offer any extra advantages when using the Grok app, similar to its offerings on the X platform.

Despite its unique offerings, Grok faces challenges with accuracy and occasionally produces unusual image results, issues that are also common among rival AI assistants like Gemini and ChatGPT. What sets Grok apart from its competitors is its promise to tackle "spicy questions" that other AI systems may avoid, alongside the fact that a version of the Grok AI model is available as open-source. Users interested in exploring how "spicy" the Grok app can get should try using it independently, especially now that it is available outside of the X platform.

Grok, AI, application