Elon Musk's xAI Launches Grok API, Expanding Access to Its AI Model

Elon Musk's xAI Launches Powerful New AI Tool

Everything You Need to Know About the Newly Launched xAI Grok API Elon Musk's xAI has now released an application programming interface for its Grok AI chatbot. In a statement on October 21, 2024, Musk promised that at the end of August, the company would be turning Grok into a robust API. The new feature allows users to create an API key within the xAI console. This helps to customize and integrate Grok AI throughout their applications. The pricing on input and output tokens remains steep, compared to other competitors. Thus, the pricing may serve as a barrier to more budget-conscious developers.

xAI API is officialy launched by Elon Musk

Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI, has officially launched the long-promised API for its generative AI model, Grok. Initially teased in August, the xAI API is now available to developers, but it currently offers limited functionality. The only model accessible via the API is "grok-beta," with pricing set at $5 per million input tokens and $15 per million output tokens -- though the exact nature of the model and its capabilities remain somewhat unclear. The xAI API supports function calling, allowing Grok models to connect with external tools such as databases and search engines. However, potential users have noted some limitations. While documentation hints at more advanced features, like vision models that can analyze both text and images, these functionalities are not yet live. Grok first appeared on X (formerly Twitter) last year and has since become a notable part of the platform's AI ecosystem, especially for X Premium+ users. Known for its edgy and often controversial responses, Grok stands out from more restrained chatbots like ChatGPT. Musk has described the model as having a "rebellious streak," capable of responding to provocative prompts that other systems might refuse. As Grok continues to expand within X, it has already begun summarizing news and generating images through its integration with Flux, an open image generator. However, some of Grok's outputs have raised eyebrows, with users reporting inaccuracies in news summaries and concerns about the lack of guardrails in its image generation. Musk's xAI faces stiff competition in the generative AI space, particularly from industry leaders like OpenAI and Anthropic. With Grok, Musk aims to use the vast amount of data generated by X's user base, which he claims gives xAI a competitive advantage. In fact, X recently updated its privacy policy to allow the platform's data to be used for AI training purposes, raising both opportunities and concerns about privacy. xAI raised $6 billion earlier this year from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and Fidelity. Musk's vision extends beyond X, with plans to train Grok models on data from his other companies, such as Tesla, SpaceX, and The Boring Company. However, this strategy has not been without controversy. Tesla shareholders have raised concerns, with some filing lawsuits against Musk, alleging that he is diverting talent and resources from Tesla to support xAI. The xAI API's current state might be bare-bones, but it signals the first step toward broader accessibility for developers. Users have encountered issues with purchasing usage credits, and the lack of clarity around which model they're buying has left some scratching their heads. Yet, with the promise of future upgrades, including potential image analysis capabilities, xAI appears poised to build on the Grok model in the coming months. As for Grok's future, Musk remains optimistic. The company is training the next generation of models at its Memphis data center, though environmental concerns around the center's operations have surfaced. Musk's plan to upgrade the facility in 2025 will require approval from the Tennessee Valley Authority, adding another layer of complexity to xAI's development efforts.

Elon Musk's xAI Has Launched Grok AI Model as an API

Currently only the grok-beta AI model is available via API It is priced at $5 (roughly Rs. 420) per million input tokens Per million output tokens are priced at $15 (roughly Rs. 1261) Elon Musk's's xAI launched an application programming interface (API) for Grok on Monday. The billionaire entrepreneur promised to turn the native artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by xAI into an API in August, and now, users can access and use it. The API key can be generated using the xAI console and users can further customise how to use it. Notably, the pricing for input and output tokens have been kept higher than competitors. Currently, only one AI model is available to use via the API. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Musk announced that the API version of the AI model is now live for all users. An API is essentially a set of rules that allow different systems to communicate with each other. The tool is useful for developers who can then build apps and platforms by using data and other information from APIs. In this particular case, the Grok API can allow developers to create various kinds of chatbot-style apps (or integrate the chatbot capability within an app) which are all powered by the Grok AI models. Currently, only one large language model (LLM) dubbed "grok-beta" is available via the API. Notably, no details around the AI model is available. It is also not certain if it is a distilled model derived from the recently released Grok-2 or not. The AI model only supports text generation. The xAI API costs $5 (roughly Rs. 420) per million input tokens and $15 (roughly Rs. 1261) per million output tokens. Notably, one million tokens is approximately 7,50,000 words. Notably, the pricing is kept on the higher end compared to rivals such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. Those interested in trying out the new xAI API can do so via the xAI Console. The API supports function calling which is essential for any AI model-based API. Function calling allows users to make clear requests to the system and the interface fetches the required data. In xAI's case, the API can connect with Grok AI model which is an Internet-enabled chatbot, and find responses to specific prompts and queries.

Elon Musk's xAI launched its own API

More AI all the time. Credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images Elon Musk just contributed a little bit more to the AI zeitgeist. Musk's AI startup xAI, which supplies the Grok chatbot that is integrated into X (formerly Twitter), officially started offering an API this week. According to TechCrunch, Grok's services can be yours for the low, low price of $5 per million input tokens or $15 per million output tokens. It's a little bit murky what anyone who pays for the API is actually getting right now. TechCrunch said the only model available for purchase right now is labeled "grok-beta," which obviously doesn't make it clear if it's the latest model, Grok-2, or not. There may also be models for analyzing images and text, but per TechCrunch, those aren't live yet. Grok started infecting X late last year, eventually becoming a fully integrated chatbot that is accessible at all times to X Premium users via a tab on the bottom of the screen. Its gimmick is that it's not as restrained (or "woke," as some might say) as other chatbots, which has, of course, resulted in lots of deeply troubling outputs from Grok over the last year.

Elon Musk's xAI launches API, letting third-party developers build atop Grok

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Elon Musk has been making headlines recently for his political activities and rocket launches, but that hasn't stopped the six-company owner/operator from moving forward with xAI, his artificial intelligence startup. Today, Musk announced via his social network X (formerly Twitter) that xAI now offers an application programming interface (API) that third-party developers can now use to access and build applications and features powered by xAI's Grok large language models. Musk posted a simple message on his X account, "The @xAI API is now live!" around 12 pm ET on Monday, October 21, following up with a reply post that included a link to the xAI API sign-on page. According to xAI's documentation, its API give developers access to Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini, xAI's latest multimodal language models, which also include the capability to generate permissive images with Black Forest Labs' Flux.1 diffusion model. However, in my limited test of it, I was only able to access a model named "Grok-beta." Notably, the entire API website is labeled at the top as a "public beta," so presumably the xAI developers and engineers will be working out various bugs and adding new features in the coming days. Positioning and pricing Releasing the xAI API is helpful for xAI and Musk's greater quest to go head-to-head against his former company OpenAI (which he co-founded and left), which offers an API as well. The xAI API offers a web-based console for creating API keys, exploring endpoints, and integrating models into applications. It supports REST, gRPC, and SDKs, and is compatible with other AI services such as OpenAI, enabling smooth integration with existing systems. I signed up to check out the pricing and spent $25 on prepaid credits to see if I could get access to the models, but was only able to access "grok-beta" at the time of this article's publication. It provides 131,072 tokens of context, and the API can handle 1 request per second (RPS) and up to 10 requests per minute (RPM). For now, OpenAI's pricing for its AI models is largely cheaper than xAI's, with GPT-4o costing developers $2.50 per 1 million input tokens/$10 per 1 million output tokens, versus Grok's $5 per million input/$15 per output (though OpenAI's new reasoning model o1 is more expensive than both at $15/$60). * Text and Code Generation: The Grok models can handle tasks like generating code, summarizing content, and performing data extraction. This flexibility makes them valuable for a wide range of use cases, including software development and data analysis. * Vision: The models can analyze and generate images, expanding their use beyond text-based tasks to multimedia and visual content generation. * Function Calling: The xAI API allows models to interact with external tools, such as APIs and databases. This enables real-world tasks like booking a flight, accessing IoT devices (e.g., unlocking a Tesla), or fetching live data from websites. New dev features Toby Pohlen, a founding member of xAI, shared additional details about building the new xAI API in a thread on the social network X today, writing, "Creating a scalable API from scratch was a massive effort. Here are some of my favourite engineering highlights." As he explained, xAI's API includes:" * Usage Explorer: The xAI Console includes a usage explorer that tracks API consumption, similar to what's found in major cloud provider platforms, giving developers insights into their resource usage and costs. * Simplified Team Management: Small businesses can bind an email domain to their teams, making it easier to manage users and teams in the platform. * Enhanced Security: Users can view all active sessions in the account app, and log out of any unrecognized devices. In addition, every time the account is accessed from a new IP address, the user is notified by email. The platform also supports two-factor authentication via TouchID, security keys (e.g., Yubikey), and authenticator apps. How to get started with xAI's new API To begin using the xAI API, developers must sign up via the xAI Console, onboard their teams, and configure billing. Each team is assigned its own API keys and billing setup, ensuring that enterprises can track costs and manage resources effectively. As Pohlen highlighted, team management is streamlined for smaller companies through the ability to bind an email domain to their teams. Whether devs flock to xAI's API and adopt it alongside or in place of other compelling alternatives in the gen AI age such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and more, remains to be seen. But at least, now xAI is giving them the option.