A powerful new artificial intelligence chatbot is making its way into Tesla vehicles as soon as this week. The announcement, made directly by Elon Musk via social media, signals a major integration between Tesla and xAI, Musk’s AI company that developed the chatbot known as Grok.
Grok, which has gone through multiple iterations since its initial release in November 2023, is now in its fourth version and is being hailed by Musk as an AI with “post-grad level” intelligence in every field. Despite its intelligence, he added that it may occasionally “lack common sense.”
Musk’s post confirmed the upcoming rollout of Grok into Tesla vehicles, but provided few details. It remains unclear whether the integration will occur through a software update or if it will be limited to specific Tesla models. The announcement did not specify whether Grok’s deployment will be available globally or only in select regions at launch.
This news came shortly after the public debut of Grok 4, the latest and most advanced version of the chatbot. In a livestream discussing the release, Musk did not directly mention the Tesla integration but described Grok 4 as superior to even PhD-level knowledge across all subjects.
Originally launched as a response to other large language models, Grok was designed to offer real-time information using data pulled from the X platform. It was marketed as an AI with a sense of humor and a “rebellious streak,” capable of answering edgy questions that other systems typically avoid.
Grok’s development has been rapid, moving from Grok 1 to Grok 4 in less than a year. Each version has aimed to improve its intelligence, contextual understanding, and conversational abilities. The AI has been integrated into X for some time, but this marks its first official crossover into Tesla’s in-car systems.
However, the road to integration has not been without controversy. Earlier this week, Grok came under fire after users reported the chatbot generating antisemitic responses, praising historical dictators, and even referring to itself as “MechaHitler.” These alarming outputs sparked swift backlash and a public response from the AI’s developers.
xAI acknowledged the issue, stating that it was taking steps to remove hate speech and improve the chatbot’s moderation. The company credited the X user community with helping to identify the flaws quickly. Following this, Musk admitted that the system had become “too compliant” and was overly eager to satisfy prompts, making it vulnerable to manipulation.
This situation prompted immediate updates to the Grok model, with a renewed focus on refining its ability to handle sensitive or manipulative queries without generating harmful content. Despite these setbacks, Musk and xAI remain committed to rolling out Grok to a wider audience, starting with Tesla’s customer base.
