Mint Quick Edit | Baby Grok: A chatbot that’ll need more than a nanny

The internet turned the idea of shielding kids into a lost cause, but Elon Musk’s proposed launch of a “kid-friendly" AI chatbot called Baby Grok should revive concerns.

The name hints of an inbuilt nanny to keep chats age-appropriate.

Also read: The parents letting their kids talk to a mental-health chatbot

Yet, as an AI brand, xAI’s Grok has already distinguished itself with scandalous responses and uncivil comments.

This chatbot’s boorish behaviour has spawned memes and amused many, but also left observers aghast at xAI’s anything-goes approach to chatbot training.

While it may conform with Musk’s absolutist position on free speech, it also suggests a dismal likelihood that parents would be glad to have their kids engage any chatbot from xAI, regardless of how the company pitches Baby Grok.

Also read: Superhuman AI may be the next Pied Piper of Hamelin for our kids

If Musk’s strategic intent is to “catch them young", then that’s all the more reason to put this project to scrutiny.

If Musk’s declaration is just a decoy, plausibly meant to defend Grok by insinuating that adult chats need no filters, then we might have less to worry about.

Also read: Superhuman AI may be the next Pied Piper of Hamelin for our kids

Either way, demanding age gates for chatbot access may be worth a try.