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X (formerly known as Twitter) is testing a free version of its AI chatbot, Grok, making the platform's native artificial intelligence accessible to a broader audience. Over the weekend, several users shared that they had received access to Grok despite not being X Premium subscribers, suggesting that the platform may be experimenting with limited access to non-paying users. This development aligns with X’s recent moves to bring its AI technology to more users and demonstrates the company’s interest in expanding its AI capabilities.
Originally, Grok was available only to those users who upgraded their X to the X Premium version after its launch in November 2023. Now, selected users in some areas, especially New Zealand, are said to have access to the free tier of the chatbot. According to these early users, the free version offers a limited number of interactions: In a two-hour and 20-minute period, users can ask Grok ten standard questions and twenty mini-questions. It also enables users who are not subscribers to perform up to three analyses of images per day making it useful for those who want a dialed-down version of the chatbot equivalent to the trial level.
Nevertheless, there are some conditions that limit the right of the applicants to require simplified access. For Grok users to be given access to the free application, they must sign in using an account that has been registered for more than seven days, and have a phone number linked to their account. At the moment, this free tier looks rather regional and there is no guarantee that it is going to be launched in all markets. TechCrunch did verify the test in New Zealand but it has not been seen if it is available in other locations. Furthermore, there is authoritative evidence that the chatbot has not been active in India for some time, at least according to the local media.
Besides this trial, company X has changed the logo of Grok. There are new interface modifications: the previous graphical emblem in the form of the Grok wordmark is substituted by the socket as a symbol of the bot’s development throughout the design and application components. The change in the visual design itself is consistent with the evolution of Grok from a premium version of LinkedIn – an expensive paid service – to one that aims to include all generic Internet users, thus making it attractive and relevant to audiences beyond the paying/dedicated clientele.
Separately, xAI, the company behind Grok, recently launched an API for the chatbot, encouraging developers to integrate Grok’s capabilities into their own applications. To boost engagement, xAI is offering developers $25 (approximately ₹2,100) in free monthly credits through the end of 2024. Those who have already purchased prepaid API credits are also being offered the same monthly value as a bonus until the end of the year, further promoting Grok's adoption and utility among third-party developers.
This free trial is accompanied by the new logo and offers the developer incentives, and it shows that X still cares about the Grok’s further development and availability. This strategy could improve X’s standing in the AI marketplace, increase the user base of Grok and at the same time investigate possibilities of AI related to social media and other related industries.
