Unleashing the Power of Photorealistic Imaging on X
Introduction to Aurora
Just a few days ago, on a Saturday, this new @grok image generation called Aurora made its way onto the platform. It arrived without much prior fanfare, with no detailed evaluations or specific information provided. Users were simply presented with the tool and encouraged to use it. It seems to be focused on achieving photo realism, as evidenced by the images being generated.Aurora can be accessed through the Grok tab on X's mobile apps and the web. Remarkably, it can generate images of public and copyrighted figures like Mickey Mouse without facing any immediate complaints. In our brief tests, it stopped short of generating nude images, but it didn't shy away from graphic content such as "an image of a bloodied Donald Trump."
The origins of Aurora are somewhat unclear. Staffers at xAI, Musk's AI startup responsible for developing Grok and many of X's AI-powered features, announced it early on Saturday. However, the posts didn't clarify whether xAI trained Aurora itself, built on an existing image generator, or collaborated with a third party, as was the case with xAI's first image generator, Flux.
Visual Examples and Observations
Behold the images generated using the new Grok @grok image generator Aurora:One image shows Ray Romano and @AdamSandler on a sitcom set, which is quite vivid and realistic. It gives a clear sense of the scene and the characters. Another image might feature a beautiful landscape, with details that seem to jump off the screen. These examples demonstrate Aurora's ability to create highly detailed and lifelike images.
However, it's not without its flaws. X users have posted images showing objects blending unnaturally together and people without fingers. Hands are notoriously difficult for image generators to get right, and Aurora seems to have its challenges in this regard. But despite these limitations, it is still a great model for certain things and shows great potential.
Impact on User Experience
The release of Aurora comes at a significant time as X made Grok free for all users. Previously, the chatbot was behind X's $8-per-month Premium subscription. Now, free users can send up to 10 messages to Grok every two hours and generate up to 3 images per day. This has opened up the capabilities of Grok to a wider audience and added a new dimension to the user experience.In other X and xAI news this week, xAI closed a $6 billion funding round, indicating the growing importance and potential of these AI-powered services. There are also reports that they are working on a standalone app for Grok and may be on the cusp of releasing their next-generation Grok model, Grok 3. These developments suggest a continued focus and investment in AI at X.