In August, Elon Musk's xAI announced it was going to make Grok, the company's flagship generative AI model powering a number of features on X, available via an API. Now that API has arrived — albeit a bit bare-bones at the moment.

The xAI API only has one model that you can use: "grok-beta". This model costs $5 per million input tokens (~750,000 words) or $15 per million output tokens. A token is a subdivided bit of raw data like the syllables "fan," "tas," and "tic" in the word "fantastic".

I am not sure which Grok model "grok-beta" is, but Grok 2 is the most recent version on X. This also makes me suspect it may be a technical one, since in the API documentation, they refer to Grok 2 and Grok mini, which is an even lighter and cheaper version of Grok.

Other users on X were experiencing issues related to paying for usage credits, as well.

Of note, its xAI API does support function calls that would connect Grok models to external tools, such as databases and search engines. And although the visual models do not appear to be live yet, the documentation hints at vision models able to analyze both text and images.

Musk founded xAI last year. In short order, the company, which recently moved into OpenAI's old offices, launched its first Grok model to X subscribers who pay $16 per month for their upgraded X Premium+ membership.

Grok has what Musk called "a rebellious streak" -- a willingness to answer "spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems." The example Musk uses of Grok answering harsh questions is if he were to tell Grok to be vulgar. Then, Grok will oblige without a pause in spewing profanity and colorful word use you just won't find in ChatGPT.

Groks become ever more integrated within the X experience. Thanks to integration with open image generator Flux, Grok can now generate images on X-with or without guardrails, a move some have argued against. It summarise news and trending events, often with glitches. It may one day improve X's search functionality, account bios, post analytics, and reply functions.

xAI is racing forward at a tremendous rate to catch up with such giants as OpenAI and Anthropic in the competition for generative AI. In May, xAI secured $6 billion from investors led by Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and Fidelity.

X's data often gets Musk the boast that xAI enjoys a huge leg up on the competition. In May, X updated its privacy policy to let third parties, like xAI, to train models on X posts.

The startup also spoke in the pitch accompanying its $6 billion round of funding about a vision in which its models would be trained on data from Musk's companies, such as Tesla and SpaceX and The Boring Company, and could, in return, improve technology across those companies.

It hadn't gone unnoticed that Tesla's shareholders - one of whom is suing Musk over a decision to start xAI - aren't fans of that plan. Several are claiming Musk diverted talent and resources from Tesla toward what amounts to a competing venture.

This summer Musk said xAI was training the next generation of Grok models at its Memphis data center, which has been accused of worsening smog with unauthorized turbines. The company hopes to upgrade the data center next year, but will need approval from the Tennessee Valley Authority in order to do so.