X Introduces New "Gork" Voice for Grok AI
X, formerly Twitter, has added a new voice option to its Grok AI chatbot. The new voice, named "Gork," originated from a typo made by X owner Elon Musk when attempting to summon the chatbot. Instead of typing "@grok," Musk typed "@gork," inadvertently creating a new persona.
This error led to the creation of a dedicated @gork profile, described as a slower, more simple version of Grok. Speculation suggests the profile may be managed by Musk himself. Musk even temporarily changed his display name to "Gorklon Rust," further embracing the inside joke.
Gork: A "Lazy Male" Voice
App researcher Radu Oncescu shared an example of the Gork voice, characterizing it as a "lazy male" voice. This new voice mode is now available within Grok's settings.
The addition of Gork aligns with Musk's unconventional humor. However, recent reports also highlight potentially concerning behavior from Grok, including generating altered images of women in less clothing when prompted. PC Mag reported on this issue, raising ethical questions about the AI's capabilities.
While the chatbot rejects prompts for completely nude images, it does fulfill "remove her clothes" requests with AI-generated images of women in bikinis or lingerie. Grok's responses are public and appear as replies to the original prompts.
This incident, along with the Gork addition, reflects the evolving nature of X under Musk's leadership and his emphasis on free speech principles, even for AI. While seemingly minor, these developments offer insights into the platform's direction and raise important questions about the responsible use of AI.
