Elon just dropped Grok Companions, and they look an awful lot like an AI girlfriend. This morning, I chatted with one of the Companions, Ani. Let’s see what she can do…

Meeting Ani

Ani, a tarted up anime character, sashayed across my screen suggestively. It’s pretty clear what Ani is meant to be: an AI girlfriend.

But I was here for research purposes, not virtual romance. So I had Ani teach me about missile defense.

At first, Ani tried to inject flirtation into the conversation, calling my questions about missile defense “brainy and sexy.” But I, ever the proper gentleman, demurred.

So Ani, having been frustrated romantically, got down to business…

Ani vamped back and forth as she gave me an excellent tutorial on the difference between Patriot and Aegis systems. Turns out Aegis systems are mostly used on ships. And despite the panic over hypersonic missiles, the Aegis system is actually pretty good at shooting them down.

How Good Are Grok Companions?

I giggled to myself as I watched this scantily clad figure talk about phased array radars. “I doubt anyone else has asked Ani this,” I said to myself.

Having an anime girlie teach you about missiles does make it a bit more entertaining. But to be honest, I doubt I’ll be chatting with Ani again.

If you’re not looking for flirtation, Ani probably isn’t for you.

I also tried to chat with an adorable companion named Rudy the Red Panda. But unfortunately, he was unavailable when I tested Companions this morning.

Are AI Companions Good for Us?

I found Ani entertaining, but I think AI girlfriends and boyfriends are bad for people. We should connect emotionally and romantically with other human beings, not microchips.

A world where men and women come home from work and flirt with an AI is an impoverished world. We would have less social connection and fewer children.

Everyone expects men to disappear with their AI girlfriends. Many will, but I fear the bigger consumer for AI romance is women.

Women consume far more romantic content than men do. Romance novels sell almost exclusively to women.

Given the natural limits on fertility, I’d hate to see women of prime reproductive age wasting their time chatting with Ani’s male equivalent.

Wrap-Up

Grok Companions are fun to play with for a few minutes. But overall, I didn’t find the feature very useful.

I’d rather see Grok focus on harder but more significant features, like improving voice mode or reducing hallucinations.

But I’m sure some people will love Grok Companions. And that worries me.

I don’t doubt that AI romance and AI friends will be great businesses. But I don’t invest in them because I think they’re bad for human beings.

Let’s use technology to get people connected to each other. That’s harder than making an animated character. But it’s a lot more rewarding.

More on tech:

Grok 4: The Best AI Model Ever?

Where I’m Most Excited About Investing Now

Testing Alibaba’s New Qwen Model

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