X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk and formerly known as Twitter, has unveiled a new image generator called Aurora, integrated into its AI assistant, Grok. This latest addition follows the launch of a similar image generator in October, marking a significant expansion of Grok’s capabilities.
Accessible via the Grok tab on both X’s mobile apps and website, Aurora allows users to generate highly detailed images with minimal restrictions. Unlike many other AI tools, Aurora can create images of public figures and even copyrighted characters like Mickey Mouse without any apparent limitations. While the model refrains from generating explicit nudity, it appears open to creating graphic content, including images depicting public figures like a bloodied Donald Trump.
Despite some initial confusion regarding its origins, Aurora is part of X’s broader push to integrate AI-powered features. Staff from xAI, Musk’s AI company, teased Aurora’s launch on X, though it remains unclear whether xAI developed Aurora entirely in-house or built it upon existing AI technology. Some xAI team members confirmed their involvement in refining the model, contributing to its functionality.
Aurora is particularly noted for its photorealistic images, excelling at generating lifelike landscapes and still-life visuals. However, like many AI tools, it isn’t flawless. Users have reported instances of Aurora blending objects unnaturally and producing images of people with missing fingers, a common issue for image generation models.
The launch of Aurora follows the recent move by X to make its Grok assistant free for all users, after previously restricting it to those with an $8-per-month Premium subscription. Now, free users can interact with Grok and generate up to three images per day, with a limit of ten messages every two hours.
In related news, xAI recently raised $6 billion in funding and is reportedly developing a standalone app for Grok, along with preparations for the release of Grok 3, the next-generation version of its AI assistant.
