Elon Musk’s xAI tests iOS app for Grok chatbot; announces $6 billion funding round

Grok has been made freely accessible to users on Elon Musk-owned X [File]
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI is working on an iOS app to allow more iPhone users to access the product, according to an app store listing, while the company has announced its Series C funding round of $6 billion.

“Introducing Grok Beta for iOS: get access to xAI’s latest model, Grok 2, for free. Grok is an AI-powered assistant designed to be maximally truthful, useful, and curious. Get answers to any question, generate striking images, and upload pictures to gain a deeper understanding of your world. With Grok, the universe is in your hands!” said the Apple app store listing for the Grok app.

Grok can also be accessed through the Musk-owned X social media platform, where it recently became free.

Promotional screenshots of the app experience showed how Grok users could study, get summaries, generate images, browse the web, and source real time information from X.

xAI also announced on December 23 that its progress was rapidly accelerating.

“We have closed our Series C funding round of $6 billion with participation from key investors including A16Z, Blackrock, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Kingdom Holdings, Lightspeed, MGX, Morgan Stanley, OIA, QIA, Sequoia Capital, Valor Equity Partners and Vy Capital, amongst others. Strategic investors NVIDIA and AMD also participated and continue to support xAI in rapidly scaling our infrastructure,” said the company in a statement.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently referred to Musk as a “bully.” The two billionaires are locked in a legal battle over the OpenAI’s move towards becoming a for-profit organisation.