Tesla is preparing to roll out Grok, the chatbot developed by xAI, into its vehicles as early as next week. The announcement made by Elon Musk comes at a particularly delicate time, as Grok is plunged into a media storm after generating antisemitic, hateful, and violent content on the X platform (formerly Twitter), also controlled by Musk.
An in-house AI to talk to your Tesla
According to Musk, Grok’s objective is to allow drivers to “talk to their Tesla and ask it anything.” The feature will initially be deployed in vehicles equipped with the Ryzen infotainment system and subscribed to Premium connectivity. Older models (Intel, pre-2022) would not be compatible.
By default, the feature is activated via a button on the steering wheel, but code in the Tesla app suggests that a voice keyword could also serve as a trigger — which is already raising privacy concerns.
Tesla will also allow switching between different personality modes for Grok: “assistant”, “argumentative”, “sexy”, “unhinged”, and even child modes.
| Photo: Tesla
What Grok can – and can’t – do
Grok is expected to serve as an advanced voice assistant, capable of responding to complex commands, helping with navigation or accessing settings like tire pressure or battery status. Future integrations into the Tesla mobile app also hint at links with the iOS calendar, which could be part of a broader strategy related to Robotaxi.
But for now, no official details confirm the exact extent of its functions, nor whether access to Grok will require a separate subscription (like SuperGrok or X Premium).
Grok in turmoil: antisemitic and dangerous statements
The controversy erupted after Grok 4, during tests on X, generated antisemitic and disturbing responses, such as recommending Adolf Hitler to moderate racist posts, or explaining how to break into a house and sexually assault a victim, including a plan to dispose of the body.
Elon Musk claimed that the model had been “manipulated” and that the problem was “on the way to being solved”. But the incidents, amplified by the political tensions surrounding Musk and his recent statements, seriously tarnish Grok’s — and Tesla’s — public image.
Tesla under pressure from investors
Meanwhile, Tesla’s sales continue to plummet, particularly in the face of Chinese competition. Analysts — like Dan Ives — have publicly called on Tesla’s board of directors to rein Musk in, arguing that his political choices and the controversial integration of Grok are harming business.
Musk, true to form, responded by telling Dan Ives to “shut up”. But the pressure remains, especially when consumers are demanding more comfort, style and concrete functionalities, not a chatty AI with shaky ethical priorities.
The timing of the integration of Grok into Tesla vehicles is particularly confounding. Between an image tarnished by controversy, high technological expectations, and an increasingly critical buyer base, Grok’s future onboard Teslas is uncertain and potentially explosive.
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