Grok's upcoming ‘Unhinged Mode’ promises controversial responses as Elon Musk pushes boundaries of AI

Elon Musk’s xAI may soon launch an “Unhinged Mode” for its Grok chatbot, offering controversial, unfiltered responses. Here's what we know about the new feature.

Elon Musk's xAI plans to introduce an "Unhinged Mode" for its AI chatbot, Grok. (Bloomberg)

Elon Musk's company, xAI, has provided more insight into an upcoming feature for its AI-powered chatbot, Grok, known as "Unhinged Mode." The feature, teased last April, is expected to deliver responses that could be deemed objectionable or offensive, as outlined on an updated FAQ page on xAI's website. The mode will be designed to generate content that is similar to an amateur stand-up comedian still finding its voice, according to reports. However, the feature has not yet been activated, with attempts to find it on the Grok web interface proving unsuccessful.

The introduction of Unhinged Mode may align with Musk's original vision for Grok. When the chatbot was introduced two years ago, Musk described it as edgy, unfiltered, and willing to answer controversial questions that other AI systems avoid. While Grok has met some of those expectations by producing vulgar content when prompted, it still maintains certain limits. On political subjects, Grok's responses have leaned left, particularly on issues like transgender rights and diversity, according to a report by Tech Crunch.  

Musk's Push for a Politically Neutral AI

Musk has attributed these tendencies to Grok's training data from public web pages, claiming the content is influenced by “woke” biases. He promised to work on steering Grok toward a more politically neutral stance, referencing the overwhelming presence of "woke nonsense" on the internet. This sentiment has resonated with Musk and his supporters, including David Sacks, who have critiqued other AI platforms like OpenAI's ChatGPT for allegedly censoring conservative viewpoints.

Grok iOS app

In addition to Unhinged Mode, xAI is also testing a new standalone iOS app for Grok, which was previously only available to X users. The app, now live in several countries, offers real-time data access from the web and X, along with features like text summarisation, Q&A, and image generation from text prompts. xAI is also preparing a dedicated website, Grok.com, which will further expand access to the chatbot. Currently, the site displays a “coming soon” message for users logging in with an xAI account.