Elon Musk's Use of Employee Biometric Data for xAI's Chatbot
Elon Musk aimed to make xAI's Grok chatbot the world's most popular, identifying the female avatar Ani as central to this goal. To achieve this, Musk instructed employees to provide biometric data to help train the highly sexualized chatbot.
Work Intensity and Development Environment
After a sudden disagreement with the president led Musk to leave the White House, he focused intensely on developing Grok's capabilities. According to The Wall Street Journal, Musk spent much of May working from the Palo Alto xAI office, sometimes even sleeping there, striving to advance in the competitive AI field.
Context in the Global AI Race
This push coincides with efforts by rival Sam Altman at OpenAI, who is leading the US in a digital arms race against China to develop advanced artificial general intelligence.
Details on Ani and Employee Involvement
A month before Musk's efforts, xAI's company lawyer Lily Lim informed employees that several avatars were in development for interacting with Grok users. Ani was described by PC Magazine as a "sexy, NSFW, anime AI chatbotgirl."
Employees acting as AI tutors were required to hand over biometric data and sign agreements granting xAI “a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, sub-licensable, royalty-free license” to use their faces and voices. This data aimed to help the chatbot learn how to behave and speak more realistically.
Elon Musk "ordered his staff to hand over biometric data to help train his highly sexualized chatbot."
Employees "were ordered to sign a form which gave xAI 'a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, sub-licensable, royalty-free license' over their faces and voices."
These measures reflect the intense strategies used by Musk to maintain a competitive edge in AI development in a rapidly evolving industry.
Author’s Summary
Elon Musk pushed xAI employees to provide biometric data under strict licensing terms to develop Ani, a provocative AI chatbot aimed at securing dominance in the global AI race.