Which Sci-Fi Novel Inspired Elon Musk To Name His AI Model 'Grok'? Find Out

X owner Elon Musk shared that "Grok" comes from Robert Heinlein’s sci-fi novel Stranger in a Strange Land, where it means to deeply and fully understand something.

Elon Musk said the name reflects the chatbot’s ability to grasp concepts with empathy and insight, which are core qualities of Grok 3.

Source : X/@ElonFactsX

Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, introduced its newest chatbot, Grok 3, which he called the "smartest AI on Earth." The launch event, held on February 17, 2025, highlighted Grok 3’s powerful abilities, such as advanced reasoning, text-to-video conversion, and self-correction capabilities. The announcement marks a major leap from the previous Grok 2 model, showcasing xAI’s rapid advancements in artificial intelligence technology.

But do you know how the name Grok came into the picture and why Elon Musk named this AI tool Grok only? 

The Meaning Behind 'Grok'

During the live demo, Musk explained the origin of the chatbot's name. He shared that "Grok" comes from Robert Heinlein’s sci-fi novel Stranger in a Strange Land, where it means to deeply and fully understand something. Musk said the name reflects the chatbot’s ability to grasp concepts with empathy and insight, which are core qualities of Grok 3. According to Musk, the term perfectly represents xAI’s mission to build AI that not only processes information but also understands human emotions and intentions.

The event drew nearly 100,000 viewers, who saw Grok 3 excel in science, coding, and math benchmarks. The chatbot demonstrated advanced problem-solving skills, outperforming previous versions in speed and accuracy. Viewers were particularly impressed with its ability to generate videos from text prompts, a feature that opens up new creative possibilities for users. Musk commended the xAI team for their dedication, noting the fast progress made in developing this advanced model despite facing stiff competition in the AI industry.

Powerful Performance Backed By Cutting-Edge Tech

Grok 3 runs on the powerful Colossus supercomputer, which uses 100,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs, delivering 200 million GPU-hours of training. This massive computing power helps the chatbot handle large datasets with speed and accuracy, setting a new standard for AI models. The advanced training infrastructure allows Grok 3 to deliver more precise answers, process complex requests faster, and self-correct errors in real-time.

Grok 3 will be available first to Premium Plus subscribers on the X platform. Users will need both an X Premium subscription and an additional Plus tier upgrade to access its full features. With its advanced capabilities and human-like conversational style, the chatbot aims to transform how people interact with AI. From assisting developers with coding tasks to generating creative content and answering complex questions, Grok 3 offers a glimpse into the future of AI-powered assistance.