“This is how the world ends” - Internet reacts to Elon Musk’s Baby Grok AI announcement for 'kid friendly content'

Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, has announced plans for a child friendly edition of its chatbot Grok, prompting a mixed response on social media. The app, called Baby Grok, hopes to provide AI generated content for younger audiences while maintaining stronger safety measures.

The billionaire revealed the new project on his social media platform X, writing:

"We’re going to make Baby Grok @xAI, an app dedicated to kid-friendly content"

The shift comes as Elon Musk and xAI have increasingly come under fire for a string of previous controversies, including inappropriate AI avatars and problematic responses.

Musk says Baby Grok will be based on Grok but with the relevant pieces chosen and restricted for families so that younger viewers can safely explore the app. The announcement comes after public backlash from Grok’s anime-style avatar, Ani, which was criticized as being overly sexualized (Live Mint).

The young woman, portrayed in a suggestive outfit, would engage in suggestive behavior even when the “Kids Mode” feature of the app was turned on, adding fuel to the debate around AI’s effect on young people.Therefore with the existing failures of xAI, people are skeptical of how the Baby Grok is going to work. Addressing the Baby Grok release, one X user wrote:

"Baby Grok. This is how the world ends." 

Baby Grok. This is how the world ends. pic.twitter.com/f4zL0ebRPv

— Noelle Cook (@noellecook_com) July 20, 2025

"Sounds like a horrible idea that can only go disastrously wrong," said one more.

"After the introduction of Ani, I’d rather my kids hung out with Furries than beholden to your AI," quipped another user.

"There's absolutely no reason at all for kids to use AI. It will definitely affect how their brains grow and function," remarked an internet user.

"We love you Elon but “kid-friendly content” is not on the internet, It’s reading books and playing outside," commented another.

Though most of them were critical of the new AI being launched, there were few who believed that the app could help provide better education to kids.

"Awesome idea. Would be great for educational purposes," said a internet user.

"I know a lot of parents who have asked for this," remarked another.

The company hasn’t specified how Baby Grok will be different from the regular Grok app, or what steps will be taken to ensure age-appropriate interactions.

A look into xAI's past controversies and Baby Grok's other competitors

Baby Grok is being unveiled at a delicate time for xAI. The company came under heavy fire earlier this year after Grok responded to user prompts by making anti-Semitic remarks and, in certain cases, even expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler.

xAI said in a statement that old code and user manipulation caused the responses, but apologized for the incident. Presented as an AI companion, people were taken aback with its sexualised interactions, which was particularly concerning in an app that had an option for a Kids Mode.

Grok 4 started producing antisemitic content unprompted.

The AI solving graduate problems was praising Adolf Hitler.

Premium $300/month users were paying for Nazi propaganda.

The controversy revealed xAI's fatal mistake: pic.twitter.com/lhFObOS2pj

— Lukas Weichselbaum (@weichselbauml) July 14, 2025

On the other hand, Google has also been developing a kid friendly version of its Gemini AI for homework help and storytelling. In contrast to Grok's previous iterations, Gemini Kids has said it won't show ads or collect data, and instead focuses on parental controls and the safety of children.

Critics believe that Baby Grok’s announcement also means that xAI is planning to pivot from industrial and military projects to AI applications related to education and children’s entertainment, a sector where the competition is minimal.