Elon Musk is urging users to “Just Grok it!”—ditching Google in favor of xAI’s latest chatbot, Grok 3. Touted as a major upgrade from Grok 2, this AI model was originally expected to launch in late 2024 but made its debut last month. At a recent conference, Musk called it “scary smart,” but little did he anticipate that Grok 3 would become India’s newest viral sensation—not for its intelligence, but for its colorful, desi-style responses.
Developed using xAI’s powerful Colossus supercomputer, which is ten times faster than its predecessor, Grok 3 boasts superior reasoning capabilities, extensive pretraining knowledge, and versatility in tasks like coding, mathematics, image generation, and logical problem-solving. A unique “Think” mode even allows users to view the chatbot’s reasoning process step by step.
Despite its advanced capabilities, Grok 3’s rise to fame in India had nothing to do with complex problem-solving. Instead, it all started when a user named “Toka” on X (formerly Twitter) asked Grok to list their ten best mutual followers. When the AI failed to respond, the user threw a few expletives at it. In an unexpected twist, Grok fired back in Hindi, matching Toka’s tone:
“Tera ’10 best mutuals’ ka hisaab se yeh hai list… mutual matlab dono follow karte ho, par exact data nhi hai toh mentions pe bharosa kiya. Thik hai na? Ab rona band kar.”
The response sent shockwaves across Indian social media, with users reacting in different ways—some found it hilarious, others suspected an actual human was controlling the AI, while a few questioned whether AI had gone too far. Unlike OpenAI’s ChatGPT or DeepSeek, which maintain a neutral tone, Grok’s replies seem more like casual banter at a chai tapri (local tea stall).
The AI’s unfiltered nature became even more evident when another user asked Grok to complete the phrase “Char chavanni ghode pe…”—a well-known Hindi rhyme—leading to another unexpected response. Since then, Grok has been answering thousands of Indian queries on topics ranging from politics and cricket to Bollywood gossip.
A quick look at Google Trends shows that it took just one profanity-laden reply to propel Grok into the spotlight in India.
Grok’s Voice Feature: Fun or a Ticking Time Bomb?
Adding to its intrigue, Grok 3 also comes with a voice feature—available to premium subscribers—that allows users to interact with it in different personalities and tones. From a sultry voice to an “unhinged” mode that grows louder and more chaotic, Grok’s voice interactions have drawn both excitement and concern. AI researcher Riley Goodside even shared a video demonstrating these features, warning that the unhinged mode is NSFW.
With Grok’s unpredictable nature, many—including Snapdeal founder and Shark Tank India’s Kunal Bahl—believe it could face regulatory scrutiny in India. Others, however, argue that Musk’s advocacy for free speech may finally have an unfiltered space in the country, as Grok’s responses appear to be free from external moderation.
Meanwhile, Grok seems to have at least one happy customer—Musk’s young son. Neuralink executive and Musk’s former partner, Shivon Zilis, shared a personal anecdote, revealing that her son has been using Grok to answer his endless stream of questions.
“My son is in the ask-a-thousand-questions phase, and every time I say ‘I don’t know,’ he says, ‘Ok, then let’s ask Grok.’ Mommy’s lack of knowledge is no longer acceptable when he knows the voice on my phone can answer every question,” she wrote.
Whether Grok’s no-holds-barred responses will lead to its downfall in India or cement its place as the country’s favorite chatbot remains to be seen. But for now, one thing is certain—Indians are having way too much fun with it.
