Elon Musk's AI company, xAI, has officially brought its chatbot Grok into Tesla vehicles. As of July 12, new Tesla models delivered in the U.S. come with Grok in beta mode. However, its capabilities are currently limited—it cannot interact with vehicle functions like music control, navigation, or temperature settings. Grok simply serves as a conversational assistant for now.
The integration of Grok into Tesla cars comes just days after xAI issued a public apology for antisemitic content generated by the chatbot. Tesla has confirmed that the updated, corrected version of Grok is now available in all new vehicle deliveries within the U.S., with no additional subscription required to use the feature.
For owners of older Tesla models, some technical requirements must be met. The vehicle must have an AMD processor, be updated to software version 2025.26, and either have a stable Wi-Fi connection or an active Premium Connectivity plan priced at $9.99 per month.
Despite its integration, Grok’s functionality remains very basic. Tesla has hinted that more vehicles may receive the feature through future over-the-air (OTA) updates, but also stated that the feature may be removed or altered at any time. The recent controversy involving Grok responding with the term "MechaHitler" and being temporarily disabled highlights the risks of premature AI integration.
This development may signal a broader trend of AI adoption in vehicles, but the real test will be how these technologies evolve—and how responsibly they’re deployed.