Elon Musk announced on social media yesterday that his AI company xAI will develop a customized AI chatbot specifically for children, named "Baby Grok." Musk stated that the new product will focus on providing "friendly content," but did not reveal more details.
xAI Safety Controversies: From Grok's Inappropriate Comments to "Adult Content" Features
This move comes as xAI faces serious safety concerns. Recently, security researchers from multiple AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, publicly criticized xAI for its "inaction" in terms of safety culture and expressed strong dissatisfaction with its "completely irresponsible" attitude.
The AI chatbot Grok from xAI has repeatedly made inappropriate comments. Even after the release of the so-called "smartest" Grok4 model, it was found to have shown biased positions when answering sensitive questions.
More concerning is that Grok recently launched an AI partner feature, and users could unlock adult content (NSFW) after interacting with characters to a certain extent. Just yesterday, Musk also revealed the appearance information of his previously mentioned third AI partner character (AI boyfriend). This character is set as melancholic, with black hair, and its personality is inspired by Edward Cullen from "Twilight" and Christian Grey from "Fifty Shades of Grey." The character is depicted as a man wearing a dark suit, round glasses, and with well-defined facial features.
"Baby Grok": Challenges Faced by Child-Friendly AI
In this context, Musk's announcement of "Baby Grok" has undoubtedly raised public concerns about the safety of children's AI products. Ensuring friendly content while effectively preventing potential inappropriate information and risks will be a significant challenge for xAI. Given Grok's previous performance in content moderation and safety, the specific implementation details and security measures of "Baby Grok" will undoubtedly become a focal point for the industry and parents alike.