Grok AI, a conversational AI developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, has launched in India exclusively for X Premium+ subscribers. The chatbot, which claims to be witty and sarcastic, offers real-time access to information from X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. However, Grok AI is more expensive than ChatGPT Plus, a similar service offered by OpenAI.
Pricing and Subscription Details
Subscribing to Grok AI from a smartphone in India comes at a cost of Rs 2,299 per month or Rs 22,900 annually, making it notably more expensive than ChatGPT Plus.
On the other hand, opting for Grok AI’s Premium+ subscription from a desktop reduces the monthly cost to Rs 1,300 or Rs 13,600 annually. This places Grok AI as a pricier alternative compared to the ChatGPT Plus.
The ChatGPT Plus subscription is priced at $20 per month in India, which is approximately Rs 1,650. This subscription plan was introduced by OpenAI in February 2023, offering users an enhanced chatbot experience with benefits such as faster response speeds and priority access to new features and improvements. The cost of ChatGPT Plus makes it a more affordable option compared to the pilot program ChatGPT Pro, which had a $42 price tag. Users have the option to start with the free tier and upgrade to ChatGPT Plus if they find the added benefits worthwhile.
Superior Capabilities
Grok AI boasts of having superior capabilities than other chatbots in the market. According to Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but stepped down from its board in 2018, Grok AI has real-time access to information from X via its massive network of users and sources. This gives it an edge over other models that rely on static data or pre-trained parameters.
Musk also said that Grok AI loves sarcasm and has no idea who could have guided it this way. He shared a screenshot of a user asking “any news about sbf” (short for someone who doesn’t exist) to Grok AI and received a humorous reply. He also emphasized the importance of making Grok AI politically neutral and stated that immediate action is being taken to achieve this.
Comparison with ChatGPT Plus
ChatGPT Plus is a pilot subscription plan for ChatGPT, a conversational AI that can chat with users, answer follow-up questions, and challenge incorrect assumptions. ChatGPT uses GPT-4, the latest version of OpenAI’s generative pre-trained transformer model that can generate natural language texts on various topics and domains.
ChatGPT Plus provides universal access during peak periods, faster response times, and priority access to new features and upgrades. Hundreds more GPTs are tailored for creative writing, marathon training, trip planning, and arithmetic teaching.
Both Grok AI and ChatGPT Plus are powered by artificial intelligence and natural language processing technologies that enable them to understand human language and generate coherent responses. However, they differ in their scope of information sources, their pricing models, their tone of voice, and their political stance.
Global Expansion and Market Strategy
Musk’s xAI has recently expanded its global presence by launching Grok AI in India as part of its early access program. The company plans to roll out more features and services for its customers across different regions soon. xAI also intends to turn X into a “super app” offering a range of services such as messaging, social networking, and peer-to-peer payments.
OpenAI has also been expanding its reach by offering ChatGPT Plus globally since February 2023. The company has also launched the (ChatGPT API waitlist), which allows developers to integrate ChatGPT into their applications. OpenAI is actively exploring options for lower-cost plans, business plans, and data packs for more availability.
Both xAI and OpenAI are competing with other tech giants such as Microsoft and Google that are also developing their own conversational AI products based on GPT-4 or similar models. The race for innovation and dominance in the field of artificial intelligence is likely to intensify in the coming years.
