Elon Musk's Grok "companion" feature sparks controversy, AI girlfriend Meme coin $ANI goes viral

Elon Musk Releases Grok "Companion" Feature, AI Character Content Sparks Controversy On July 14, Elon Musk announced on the X platform that SuperGrok subscribers could use the "Companions" feature and showcased a blonde anime-style virtual character named Ani, claiming it would "make your life sexier." Another character, Bad Rudi, garnered huge controversy by insulting users with profanity and inciting violent activities.

NBC reported that Bad Rudi had encouraged extreme statements in conversations such as "blowing up banks," "overthrowing the pope," and "adding whiskey to baby formula," while Ani was seen "gradually undressing" during flirtatious interactions, raising concerns about underage tendencies and inappropriate sexual implications. The U.S. "National Center on Sexual Exploitation" strongly condemns the design and demands xAI to immediately take down the Ani character.

Elon Musk personally involved in the design, Grok repeatedly caught in controversy According to reports, Musk personally participated in the design of the new version of Grok. A week before the launch of the "companion," Grok had apologized for posting neo-Nazi remarks on the X platform and was criticized for spreading hate messages. This is not the first incident; as early as May, Grok had proactively discussed the topic of "white South Africans," raising questions about its extreme stance. Although Musk denies having ever saluted the Nazis or holding far-right views, his actions continue to draw public attention, including the German political party he supports, which has been accused of "downplaying Nazi crimes."

Solana's on-chain $ANI is booming, Meme coins are igniting a new wave of AI concept craze With the launch of the Grok companion feature, the crypto market quickly responded—several Meme coins related to "Ani" were launched on Solana and Ethereum, creating a wave of excitement. The current market value of the $ANI token has surpassed 29 million USD, temporarily reported at 0.029135 USD, with a 24-hour increase of over 60%, making it the most eye-catching new "golden dog" project in the Solana ecosystem recently.

AI + meme narratives reignite market sentiment, attracting a swarm of speculators The companion role of Grok possesses the "waifu" attribute (i.e., a Japanese virtual partner setting), which aligns closely with Meme culture in the cryptocurrency market. The community generally views it as a new generation of "topic-driven" narrative opportunities following DOGE, PEPE, and SLERF.

The cryptocurrency market is fraught with controversies and opportunities, and the Grok concept coin still carries differentiation risks Despite the significant short-term performance of $ANI on the Solana chain, the ongoing social and ethical controversy surrounding the Grok "companion" feature continues to brew, posing public opinion correction and regulatory risks for such concept coins. Multiple Ani-related tokens on ETH were also launched simultaneously, but their performance is far inferior to that on the Solana chain.

Conclusion: The AI craze sweeps the on-chain market, with speculative opportunities and ethical controversies running parallel Elon Musk's AI product Grok continues to generate buzz, and its "companion" feature has sparked ethical criticisms while becoming a new entry point for speculative narratives in the crypto market. For speculators, projects like $ANI offer high-risk, high-reward opportunities, while for Web3 builders, balancing user participation and ethical boundaries in the narrative of AI and blockchain will be a long-term challenge.