Elon Musk doubles down on Grok Imagine after OpenAI shuts down Sora

Elon Musk has revealed that his AI startup, xAI, is working to improve its AI video-generator Grok Imagine. The tech billionaire teased the next version of Grok Imagine on X, claiming that the model would be “epic.” Musk’s comments come right after OpenAI decided to discontinue its own video generator Sora as it shifted focus to enterprise products.

On X, Elon Musk wrote that xAI, now merged with SpaceX, was going to leave no stone unturned for the next version.

He wrote, “The next @Grok Imagine release will be epic. We are doubling down.” Elon Musk teases the next version of Grok Imagine.

Why is Elon Musk doubling down on xAI? Musk, who co-founded OpenAI a decade ago, has been trying to compete against the Sam Altman-led startup and other AI rivals with xAI. OpenAI’s withdrawal of Sora has now opened up new space for competitors like xAI to expand their AI video offerings.

OpenAI has stopped focusing on all video generation tools as it tries to focus on enterprise customers. The Sam Altman-led startup is expected to lose a $1 billion investment deal from Disney after shutting down Sora.

Grok Imagine creates 10-second videos and images at 720p or 1080p resolutions from text prompts. Grok Imagine recently overtook other AI video generators such as Sora and Google’s Veo 3.1 on AI benchmark DesignArena.

Elon Musk regularly shares clips made by users with Grok Imagine on X, encouraging more users to try the video generator.

Musk’s push to develop Grok Imagine comes amid recent staff departures at xAI, including co-founder Guodong Zhang and video strategy lead Haotian Liu. Following big-name exits, Elon Musk has stated that he is bringing more talented people onboard who previously did not get such a chance at the startup.

Elon Musk says Grok Imagine can make R-rated videosGrok has been at the centre of controversy in the past, due to its “spicy mode.” Elon Musk and X faced public scrutiny after users used Grok to undress people into bikinis without their consent. Grok Imagine too reportedly created explicit content.

Elon Musk recently clarified the type of content Grok will be allowed to generate. As per the tech billionaire, Grok Imagine will be able to create content similar to what we see in “R-rated” movies.

He wrote earlier this month, “If it’s allowed in an R-rated movie, it’s allowed in @Grok Imagine.” Elon Musk clarifies Grok can create R-rated content. Previously, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in India issued a formal notice to the social platform X, highlighting serious lapses in statutory due diligence under the IT Act and Rules over the Grok debacle.

The European Commission, too, criticised Grok for enabling the creation and distribution of non-consensual explicit images, including content resembling children. - EndsPublished By: Armaan AgarwalPublished On: Mar 26, 2026 09:11 IST

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