Elon Musk’s xAI has expanded the availability of its Grok AI to all X users, followed shortly by the launch of Aurora, a new image-generation model that can be accessed through the Grok assistant on X. However, within hours of the launch, some users reported losing access to Aurora, and the reason for this disruption remains unclear.
Aurora is an upgraded version of xAI’s first image-generation model introduced in October. It stands out from other AI models due to fewer restrictions, allowing users to generate images from almost any prompt, including depictions of famous personalities and copyrighted characters. Each generated image includes a watermark for transparency. Despite being in beta, early user-generated content has showcased Aurora’s ability to produce detailed, lifelike images, including controversial themes like violence and digital intellectual properties, areas where other AI image generators typically impose stricter limits.
Aurora’s access depends on the user’s subscription tier: free X users are allowed three image generations daily, while X Premium subscribers have unlimited access. Musk confirmed that Aurora is still in beta and is expected to evolve rapidly. Additionally, reports indicate that xAI is developing a stand-alone Grok app, which could be powered by the upcoming Grok 3, following a successful $6 billion funding round for the company.
