What is X’s Grok "Aurora" photorealistic image generator?

X's in-house chatbot, Grok, has introduced a new photorealistic image generator called "Aurora." This tool produces images that closely resemble actual photographs, with a high level of detail, making it stand out from Grok’s standard image generator.

Aurora, like its predecessor, is highly flexible in terms of content creation, capable of generating images of famous figures, including controversial depictions of politicians and celebrities. TechCrunch reported that it could create images of President-Elect Donald Trump with blood on his face, and portray actors Ray Romano and Adam Sandler on set. However, while the tool has minimal content restrictions, it does not generate explicit nude images.

While Aurora’s features are impressive, access to it may be limited. Users on X have reported difficulty in accessing the tool, and those using the free version of Grok are restricted in how many images they can generate daily. Free users have a set quota for image generation, which is quickly exhausted unless they upgrade to X Premium.

The timing of this launch follows Grok's recent move to a free-access model, albeit with strict limitations on its usage. As deepfakes continue to raise legal concerns, particularly around election-related content, jurisdictions like California are tightening laws. For instance, a new law bans AI-generated images of political candidates 120 days before elections unless clearly labeled as such.

Despite these regulatory hurdles, Grok’s developer, the start-up xAI, is heavily invested in expanding its capabilities. xAI recently raised $6 billion in funding and invested in supercomputing infrastructure, ensuring that Grok can continue to evolve with a vast pool of GPUs.

The future of AI-driven photo-realistic image generation remains uncertain, as the legal landscape adapts to this rapidly advancing technology.