For now, most teens still prefer people to bots. According to the recent report, 80% of AI companion users spend more time with real friends than with AI. Just 6% said they spend more time with AI companions than peers, while 13% spend about equal time with both.

The latest version of Grok for iOS (version 1.1.18) comes with two companions — an anime girl called Ani and a red panda called Rudi.

One of the new “companions,” or AI characters for users to interact with, is a sexualized blonde anime bot called “Ani."

Teens admit that they prefer discussing important topics with AI companions more than people, according to a new study.

This marks a shift in the AI wars. Instead of just competing on intelligence or reasoning, Musk wants Grok to feel more personal, more addictive, and more human, or at least more fun. But the reactions online show that people are split. SuperGrok now has two new companions for you, say hello to Ani and Rudy! pic.twitter.com/SRrV6T0MGT

If you thought that the top labs' AI offerings were all looking sort of similar -- a solitary text box in the middle of the screen where users can ask questions -- xAI has come

Grok, the chatbot from Elon Musk's xAI that went full Nazi and declared itself 'MechaHitler,' now offers a sexy anime girlfriend character.