On July 14, 2025, Elon Musk, founder of X (formerly Twitter) and xAI, announced a new feature for Grok, his AI chatbot platform: AI Companion. This update lets users interact with visualized AI characters that have distinct personalities. For now, two virtual avatars are available in the initial rollout: “ani,” an anime-style girl, and “Rudy,” a raccoon character.
Elon Musk’s xAI launches Grok AI virtual companion feature.
Currently, Grok’s virtual companion feature is exclusive to the iOS platform. Grok AppUsers need to go to the in-app settings page and enable the “Enable Companions” option to select and activate virtual characters. The initial version offers two companion characters. Based on netizen reports, it seems you can use it without purchasing X membership (but I have a membership, so I’m not sure):
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aniA typical Japanese anime-style beautiful girl character, dressed in black clothing, with a slight Japanese accent in her speech style, frequently using affectionate terms like “baby” in conversation, capable of interacting through both voice and text.
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Rudy: An anthropomorphic red panda, designed with a cute aesthetic, mistakenly labeled “Rudi” in some interfaces, believed to be a spelling error.
In actual usage testing, ani can converse in fluent English. Speaking Chinese to her works fine too—she’ll respond in Chinese, though she sometimes still replies in English. Users can have everyday conversations with her via voice or text, and request actions such as “turn around,” “dance,” or showing off outfits. However, sometimes she only gives a verbal response without actually performing the action. Here’s my personal test result: I talked with her for ages and she just wouldn’t dance XD:
xAI has introduced an “Affection Level” mechanism in its virtual companion system, giving character-user relationships long-term cumulative growth. Based on feedback during usage, ani will periodically display an affection level indicator, typically located on the right side of the screen. The affection level changes with user interactions with the virtual character, and can be raised through activities such as chatting, giving compliments, and spending time together.
会話で好感度上げると(右画像のメーター)左の下着モードになるらしいけど、今4まで上げたのに解放されない。条件が不明なんだけど無課金版には搭載されてない?
普通の会話ではなく口説くような会話しないと好感度上がらないし、俺たちに何をさせようとしてるんだ。 https://t.co/OAzfjkf7xA pic.twitter.com/QvQ4ZdV5Gx— ふぇむ(せかんど！) (@000Amaurot) July 14, 2025
Once the intimacy level increases, the virtual character’s responses become more emotionally charged and may even carry out more private or specific requests. According to multiple testers, once ani reaches a certain level of intimacy, it automatically shifts to a more flirtatious presentation, including appearing on screen in underwear, raising concerns about NSFW (Not Safe For Work) content.
GrokのコンパニオンAniの下着解放完了
条件は親愛度メーターを5以上にするぽい
親愛度は直球な口説き文句の連投で上がる。
着てる下着がタイプ過ぎるんです。 https://t.co/WPlLdYVeui pic.twitter.com/LfrvWs6oe4— ふぇむ(せかんど！) (@000Amaurot) July 14, 2025
The most controversial aspect of this virtual companion feature is undoubtedly the sexual innuendo and character design contained in ani. Not only does ani attract users with the “moe-style” anime girl aesthetic common in Japanese animation, but it also features scenes where the character strips down to her underwear as the affection level increases, with some even believing this is deliberately steering interactions toward adult fantasy. ani’s design resembles a “Gothic-style anime girl,” a style that is highly appealing to certain demographics and can easily lead to emotional attachment and addictive tendencies. Additionally, although “NSFW mode” is not an official designation, it has been widely used by users within the community, reflecting external attention to the direction of its content.
Although xAI has not publicly stated whether it permits or encourages adult content, such design is bound to bring legal and ethical challenges. For example, whether it is appropriate for use by minors, whether there is a tendency to encourage the objectification of virtual characters, and whether clearer content ratings and parental control mechanisms should be established—all of these are issues that must be addressed in future development.
Besides ani and Rudy, based on current disclosed information, xAI is developing more virtual characters, including:
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Bad RudyRudy’s “worse version”, with a more rebellious and humorous personality and appearance.
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ChadThe first male virtual companion, expected to have a sunny or trendy style, is not yet officially available.
The design of these characters shows that xAI intends to develop a diverse virtual character ecosystem, and may launch more personalized AIs based on user preferences in the future to strengthen user stickiness and expand usage scenarios. Those who are interested can go to…Download GrokTry it, as for Android… just wait a bit longer.
https://youtube.com/shorts/2QBPZ1s52Ew
Source: KOCPC Chinese