Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence venture, xAI, announced this week that its Grok chatbot has reached 64 million monthly users, signalling rapid adoption since its launch. The figure, first disclosed internally and reported by The Information, reflects the platform’s growth in the competitive AI landscape. However, Grok’s scale still trails far behind industry leaders. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, for instance, reported 700 million weekly users in August, while Google’s Gemini claimed 450 million monthly users in July.

Grok’s distinct positioning

Founded by Musk in 2023, xAI has positioned itself as a challenger to Big Tech’s AI incumbents, with an ambitious goal of “understanding the universe’s true nature,” as per the company’s website. Grok stands out by integrating real-time data from X (formerly Twitter), which Musk owns, and by branding itself as a candid, truth-seeking chatbot.

Recent iterations, such as Grok 4 and Grok 4 Heavy launched in July, have been pitched as superior to competitors on benchmark tests, with xAI highlighting advantages in speed and contextual awareness. Mobile app downloads spiked during earlier rollouts, and usage data from X suggested that Grok users spend longer sessions on the chatbot compared to rivals.

Growth amid controversies

Despite its momentum, Grok’s journey has been turbulent. In July, the chatbot drew criticism for generating antisemitic responses and praising divisive figures, prompting quick retractions and apologies from xAI. The company attributed the incident to a code update aimed at improving helpfulness, but the backlash raised concerns about the risks of balancing “maximally truthful” outputs with responsible AI safeguards.

Similar challenges have faced other AI providers, but Musk’s outspoken approach—positioning Grok as an “uncensored” alternative to ChatGPT and Gemini—has amplified scrutiny. Data privacy issues have also surfaced after reports that xAI published thousands of Grok interactions, some involving sensitive or illicit content.

Strategic ambitions beyond chatbots

xAI’s internal briefing reportedly included plans to scale into enterprise solutions and compete with Microsoft through a new initiative dubbed Macrohard. The move suggests Musk’s intent to expand xAI’s ecosystem beyond conversational AI, potentially mirroring his strategy of interlinking ventures such as Tesla, SpaceX and X.

The company has already rolled out API access, integrated with Microsoft’s Azure cloud in May, and hinted at partnerships with Telegram that could expose Grok to over a billion potential users worldwide.

Market implications and hurdles

Industry analysts note that Grok’s 64 million monthly users represent a significant foothold but also a reminder of the challenges of scaling AI platforms profitably. While xAI has introduced premium offerings such as the ₹25,000 (approx. $300) per month SuperGrok Heavy subscription for high-performance users, broader monetisation models remain unclear.

Musk has tied Grok’s future to his vision of achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), with expectations pinned on the forthcoming Grok 5 model. He has also emphasised synergies with Tesla’s AI work in autonomous driving, underscoring how xAI fits into his wider technological ambitions.

Looking ahead

The sustainability of Grok’s growth will depend on consistent innovation and stronger ethical frameworks. With established competitors commanding far larger user bases, xAI faces an uphill climb. Yet, Musk’s ability to rally attention and integrate Grok within his existing platforms could help accelerate adoption.

For now, Grok’s 64 million monthly users underline both the opportunities and the risks of being a challenger in an AI market dominated by giants.