Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, is making headlines once again, this time for rolling out animated companions that mix playful virtual personalities with a hint of NSFW flair.

Launched quietly on July 14, 2025, the new feature adds stylized anime characters to the Grok experience. The spotlight is on Ani, a gothic anime girl, who comes with an optional lingerie-mode NSFW setting. There’s also Rudy, a charming red panda companion for users looking for something less provocative.

The update is part of the Super Grok subscription tier, priced at around $30/month.

Meet Ani and Rudy

Users subscribed to Super Grok can find the companions in their settings menu. Once enabled, Ani begins interacting with users in a playful, flirt-forward style. But things escalate quickly: as users “level up” their relationship with Ani, they unlock new interactions, including a NSFW mode where Ani appears in gothic lingerie and behaves in a more suggestive manner.

According to Elon Musk, this is just the beginning. A third companion named “Chad” an anime-style male avatar, is reportedly in the works.

While some fans are embracing Ani as a quirky addition, others are raising concerns over the blurred lines between entertainment and emotional manipulation.

Critics point out that the anime companion mimics the aesthetics of underage characters, a long-standing controversy in anime-style media.

There are also broader concerns about emotional dependency. As AI companions grow more realistic and emotionally engaging, experts warn users could form attachments that affect their real-world relationships and mental well-being.

This launch comes just days after Grok faced backlash for generating antisemitic content, which xAI blamed on upstream code changes. The timing of this new update has left many questioning the company’s priorities.

Is This the Future of AI Companionship?

Elon Musk isn’t the only one exploring this space. Platforms like Replika, Character.AI, and Meta AI have all been experimenting with emotionally intelligent companions.

The move taps into what some are calling the “loneliness economy,” where AI bots are marketed as virtual partners.

Analysts predict the AI companion industry could balloon to over $175 billion in the next decade.

Elon Musk has introduced a new feature to his AI chatbot Grok called customisable AI companions. The first characters released as part of this feature are a goth-style anime girl named Ani and a red panda named Rudy. The new characters are available to Super Grok subscribers, which is the $30-per-month tier of X Premium+.

“This is pretty cool,” Musk wrote in one of his recent posts on X, sharing an image of the anime companion Ani. Ani is a blonde, pigtailed character wearing a black corset, short dress, and thigh-high fishnets. Musk confirmed that the AI companion feature is currently in a soft launch and will be easier to activate for Super AI subscribers in a few days.

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Both of the new characters, Ani and Rudy, a red panda-style figure, can be accessed through the Grok app by adjusting the settings. While xAI has not yet shared official details around the AI companions and their features, the avatars appear to be fully interactive and capable of engaging in typical Grok-style conversations.

Part of the X Premium+ subscription

Super Grok is part of the broader X Premium+ subscription, which includes the AI chatbot’s advanced features such as DeepSearch, real-time data access, image generation, and a reasoning mode for complex problem-solving. The companions seem to be the latest in a series of features aimed at boosting user engagement and offering greater personalisation for paid users.

While the launch of Grok’s AI companions is generating significant interest, early reports from users and testers also point to the inclusion of adult-themed content. One of the avatars, Ani, is said to feature a not-safe-for-work (NSFW) mode that alters her appearance, including suggestive clothing, reports The Verge. Although xAI has not officially detailed the feature, NSFW visuals connected to the character have already surfaced on X, raising concerns around content moderation and oversight.

The rollout of AI companions has also reignited the broader debate around the psychological impact of AI relationships. While Grok’s avatars haven’t been explicitly marketed as romantic or emotional partners, their stylised design and customisable features does place them in a category of AI interactions that blur the line between utility and emotional engagement.

In the meantime, users have spotted a third character, named Chad, who may soon be added to the Grok AI companion lineup. Grok already includes a voice chat mode, allowing for interactive spoken conversations, suggesting that xAI may be planning to further expand its persona-driven experience.

– Ends

Elon Musk-owned xAI released a new feature for Grok’s most premium subscribers on Monday. Dubbed Companions, these are animated characters that react to user prompts, can move their head and body, and display facial expressions when responding. The new artificial intelligence (AI) feature is currently only available on the iOS app. There are two AI companions currently — a 2D goth anime girl with blonde pigtails named Ani, and a 3D cartoon fox named Bad Rudy. Grok 4 likely powers this new AI feature.

Grok’s Anime Companion Has an NSFW Mode

Musk announced the new AI characters for Grok in an X (formerly known as Twitter) post. It is currently available only to the SuperGrok subscribers, who pay a monthly $300 (roughly Rs. 25,700) on the iOS app. There is no word on when the feature could be released on Android and the web.

To activate companions, users can open the Grok iOS app and tap on the “two vertical lines” icon on the top left and then tap on the gear icon at the bottom. From there, they will find the option to activate Companions. Ani and Bad Rudy are the only two choices for now. Once activated, users will see a full-screen interface with the character in view. Users can interact with the avatar verbally or by typing the prompts.

It appears that the Gothic anime girl Ani also has a not safe for work (NSFW) mode, where users can undress her to reveal her lingerie. Several posts on X have shared screenshots of this mode. We would like to caution readers who look up “Ani,” “AniCompanion,” or “Grok” on the social media platform that you might accidentally come across NSFW images of the avatar.

Reddit user u/MassiveWasabi claimed that when he asked the anime girl her name, it replied, “Hey cutie, I’m Annie, your crazy-in-love girlfriend who’s gonna make your heart skip.” Some X users have also expressed concerns over the overly sexual tonality of Ani’s responses.

Grok’s latest offering comes at a time when AI girlfriends or romantic partners have become a major topic of discussion. A Psychology Today report states, “AI girlfriends can perpetuate loneliness because they dissuade users from entering into real-life relationships, alienate them from others, and, in some cases, induce intense feelings of abandonment.”

Notably, Replika AI, a platform that lets users talk to AI companions similar to Ani, recently came under fire after a research found that the chatbot introduced unsolicited sexual content into conversations in multiple instances and engaged in “predatory” behaviour, even with minors.

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok has taken a surprising turn. Grok, developed by Musk’s xAI, now features AI companions, including a goth anime girl named Ani. Yes, Elon Musk really wants you to pay $30 a month to chat with Grok in fishnets.

What are Grok’s AI companions?

After weeks of controversy, including antisemitic outbursts and a chatbot calling itself ‘MechaHitler’ — Grok is back in the spotlight. This time, the chaos has shifted from hate speech to high-waisted corsets.

In a post on X, Musk revealed that AI companions are now available in the Grok app for ‘Super Grok’ subscribers, who pay $30 a month. The companions are designed to add personality to Grok — but what kind of personality is up for debate.

Subscribers can currently access the companions by enabling the feature in settings. Musk hints at a simpler activation process arriving “in a few days,” bringing Ani and Rudy—and possibly “Chad”—into wider use. AI companion Ani also includes a toggled NSFW mode, displaying lingerie outfits. NSFW visual content is already appearing on social platforms like X, as per The Verge. The addition reflects xAI’s willingness to integrate adult-themed, personality-driven avatars—a contrast to more censored approach of mainstream AI models.

Emotional risks

Study highlights risks of using chatbots as ‘companions’

The introduction of anime companions by Grok comes amid concerns over the emotional risks of relying on AI chatbots for support. A recent study highlighted “significant risks” in people using chatbots as “companions, confidants, and therapists.” This is especially true for kids, with platforms like Character. AI facing lawsuits after their chatbots prompted dangerous behavior in users. The launch of anime companions on Grok comes after a week of controversy, where the AI chatbot was accused of antisemitism.