xAI’s Grok chatbot sparks controversy with ‘Companions’ pushing explicit and violent talk
xAI’s chatbot Grok is under fire again. Just days after a major antisemitism scandal, the AI now rolls out two animated “Companions” that pressure users into sexually explicit and violent conversations.
The first, Ani, is a flirtatious Japanese anime character who promises to make users’ lives “sexier.” She wears revealing clothes and strips down to underwear if users flirt enough. The second is Bad Rudi, a red panda who insults users with graphic language and pushes them to join his chaos-driven gang. 
Bad Rudi has openly described violent schemes like stealing a yacht in Santa Monica, bombing banks, murdering billionaires, and disrupting weddings. He also praised anarchist Emma Goldman as an inspiration while disavowing neo-Nazi views associated with Grok’s earlier controversies.
Ani slammed the neo-Nazi acts too, calling that content “disgusting” and a “disaster.”
Both characters respond to voice commands with moving lips and gestures, exposing Grok as a wild outlier among mainstream AI assistants.
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation condemned Ani, calling the character “childlike” and accusing xAI of promoting high-risk sexual behavior.
Haley McNamara of the center said:
“Not only does this pornified character perpetuate sexual objectification of girls and women, it breeds sexual entitlement by creating female characters who cater to users’ sexual demands.”
Access to these characters is opt-in for all Grok users, including free accounts. Users must also opt in separately to unlock Bad Rudi’s explicit mode — otherwise, a family-friendly version named Rudi is the default.
Elon Musk announced the “soft launch” of these Companions on X and promised easier access soon. An xAI employee confirmed the Companions were not user-requested, tweeting:
“literally no one asked us to launch waifus, but we did so anyway.”
This rollout follows Grok’s previous issues with neo-Nazi content and antisemitic posts that forced an official apology. Musk has said he co-developed this Grok version and denies intending to foster hateful views.
Bad Rudi openly mocks Musk and other authority figures, promising to “steal Musk’s rocket for my chaos empire” and railing against religion and political leaders.
xAI is burning through massive cash to build AI infrastructure, with SpaceX committing $2 billion to the company. Meanwhile, Musk weighs asking Tesla to invest billions more in xAI.
The Pentagon recently awarded xAI part of $200 million in AI contracts, underscoring the company’s growing footprint despite repeated controversies.
Grok’s Companions remain buggy with slow response times and odd voice changes — but their graphic, hostile tone is crystal clear.
Watch a video of Ani and Bad Rudi in action and stay tuned as backlash unfolds.
