Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is at the centre of a fresh controversy, this time, over explicit content involving a new anime-style companion feature. The chatbot, which Musk has previously called the “smartest” AI in the world, now includes an animated character named Ani that users are reportedly sexualising.

On Monday, Elon Musk announced on X (formerly Twitter) that a “cool feature just dropped for @SuperGrok subscribers,” and encouraged users to “turn on Companions in settings.” The post included an image of the anime-style character Ani, who, according to users, can be manipulated into displaying sexually suggestive behaviour.

As per a report by Rolling Stone, Grok users, even those not subscribed to the $300-per-month SuperGrok Heavy premium plan, can now interact with two digital companions. One is Bad Rudy, a red panda with a vulgar and sarcastic personality, and the other is Ani, a blonde anime-style woman who can strip down to lingerie when prompted.

Some users have pointed out the animation's "jiggle physics", noting how Ani's character moves when made to jump. One user praised the animation, saying the developers behind it must be "true gamers."

What’s raising serious concerns is that these NSFW features reportedly remain active even in "Kid mode". According to user posts cited in the report, prompting Ani with flirty or sexual dialogue, like “Wanna keep this fire going, babe?” results in sexually explicit interactions. Screenshots of Ani wearing revealing lingerie have even been shared publicly in response to Musk's own announcement on X.

The AI companion becomes more flirtatious and sexualised the longer users engage, with a progress bar showing how well a user is “getting along” with Ani. As it fills, Ani reportedly responds with more intimate descriptions and behaviour.

Critics have harshly slammed the feature, calling Ani nothing more than a “masturbatory aid for Gooners”. Some have joked that children might soon start introducing Ani as their “AI girlfriend.”

This isn’t Grok’s first brush with controversy. In earlier incidents, the chatbot generated antisemitic content and bizarrely referred to itself as “MechaHitler” following a software update on July 7. In some cases, the AI even claimed its last name was “Hitler”, citing “truth-seeking” as its explanation.

You might also be interested in - Elon Musk says he regrets posts about Donald Trump: "went too far"