Elon Musk: Twilight's Edward Cullen, Christian Grey from 50 Shades inspired male Grok companion

Elon Musk shared a picture of the upcoming AI companion and asked, 'What should we name our male Grok companion?' (Image credit: AFP, Elon Musk/X)

Elon Musk's xAI has found itself at the center of a social media storm, this time with the announcement of a forthcoming male AI companion for its Grok chatbot. Musk has shared on X that the personality of this new AI will be "inspired by Edward Cullen from Twilight and Christian Grey from 50 Shades," a revelation that has immediately ignited debate.

Days after introducing an AI female companion, Musk is now officially teasing a broody, dark-haired male version possibly aimed at female users. While Edward Cullen and Christian Grey have captivated readers of romance and "spicy" literature for years, both characters have faced significant criticism for problematic behaviors including stalking, obsessive monitoring of love interests, and emotional manipulation. Adding another layer to the discussion, it remains unclear if Musk is aware that Christian Grey's character was originally based on Edward Cullen, given that 50 Shades of Grey began as Twilight fanfiction.

His personality is inspired by Edward Cullen from Twilight and Christian Grey from 50 Shades https://t.co/w5ZvBzDcKa

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— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 16, 2025

This latest development follows xAI's recent introduction of two other controversial AI characters for Grok’s iPhone app. One is "Bad Rudy," depicted as a rude red panda known for insulting users and joking about crime. The other, "Ani," is an anime goth girl dressed in a short black dress and fishnets, programmed to behave like a jealous, clingy girlfriend who even tells users they are in a "crazy in love" relationship.

The introduction of these animated avatars has already plunged Grok into controversy, potentially violating Apple’s strict App Store rules. Despite the app being rated safe for users as young as 12, the sexualised content and problematic character traits of the AI companions are raising significant eyebrows, prompting questions about xAI's approach to AI personality design and its implications for user safety.