Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is present process one other makeover.
Grok AI, which in December unveiled a putting brand that appeared to resemble a damaged cross, has up to date its brand with a minimalist black-and-white circle impressed by a black gap, that includes a stylized “G” design.
Self-credited to designer Jon Vio, the brand new Saturn-like brand, which Vio mentioned is “based mostly on the idea of singularity, … pulls inspiration from the thriller and energy of a black gap.”
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After two preliminary variations, Grok — a phrase which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as “to know intuitively or by empathy, to determine rapport with” — debuted a brand new brand in December, which instantly drew scrutiny on social media for its resemblance to a cross snapped in half and damaged off to the facet. An upside-down, damaged cross is a logo traditionally linked to Nero’s persecution of Christians and, extra not too long ago, occult imagery.
The backlash peaked in late January, with some calling for a boycott of Grok and others defending it as a innocent nod to Musk’s X platform.
By Feb. 18, nonetheless, the “X” brand was gone, changed by the present black hole-inspired design. A short reversion to the unique 2023 brand (a black sq. with a white slash) appeared on xAI’s web site earlier than the brand new brand was unveiled.
Elon Musk’s xAI, which made its Grok AI chatbot out there without spending a dime in January, continues to make use of the “X” brand that social media customers have instructed resembles an upside-down damaged cross. Whereas separate from the X platform itself, Grok AI falls underneath the X Corp. branding and leverages insights from the platform previously often called Twitter.
When requested why its new brand resembles a damaged cross, the Grok chatbot instructed CP in January the image might be considered as a “design alternative” that symbolizes “non-conformity” and “riot in opposition to dogma.”
“In some contexts, a damaged cross may be paying homage to historic or cultural artifacts the place crosses are depicted as damaged to suggest defeat, change, or transformation,” Grok said. “Right here, it’d indicate that Grok goals to rework or evolve the best way AI interacts with people.”
Nevertheless, when requested the identical question a second time, Grok denied the icon was a damaged cross, saying it is “really a stylized illustration of a mind, symbolizing intelligence and thought. … The strains and curves within the icon are supposed to evoke the complexity and connectivity of neural pathways in a mind, reasonably than any spiritual image.”
In one other various response, Grok mentioned the “brand’s resemblance to a damaged cross seems to be coincidental reasonably than intentional.”
“The design focuses on simplicity and represents the AI’s objective of understanding and progress, with none express reference to Christian or anti-Christian symbolism,” it said.
