Breaking News
Elon Musk-owned social network X has introduced a new image generator called Aurora, which is now available on its platform. However, after being live for a few hours on Saturday, the product seemed to disappear for some users.
What’s New with Aurora?
Aurora is a new image generation feature that can be accessed through the Grok tab on X’s mobile apps and web interface. This feature allows users to generate images of public and copyrighted figures, such as Mickey Mouse, without any restrictions. However, it’s worth noting that graphic content, including explicit images or those with profanity, is also permissible.
Aurora’s Origins
The origins of Aurora are a bit unclear. Staffers at xAI, Musk’s AI startup, announced the new feature in posts on X early Saturday, but they didn’t reveal whether xAI trained Aurora itself or built upon an existing image generator. At least one xAI employee confirmed that they helped fine-tune the model.
Aurora’s Capabilities
Aurora seems to excel at generating photorealistic images, including landscapes and still lifes. However, it’s not without its flaws. Users have reported seeing objects blend together unnaturally in generated images, as well as people with missing fingers (hands are notoriously difficult for image generators).
Availability and Pricing
The release of Aurora comes after X made Grok free for all users, previously gated behind the $8-per-month Premium subscription. Free users can send up to 10 messages to Grok every two hours and generate up to 3 images per day.
Other xAI News This Week
In other related news, xAI closed a $6 billion funding round, is reportedly working on a standalone app for Grok, and may be on the cusp of releasing its next-generation Grok model, Grok 3. Elon Musk also mentioned that this version will "improve very fast" once it’s released.
Update: Aurora Temporarily Removed
This article has been updated to reflect that Aurora seems to have been taken down for some users.
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