xAI is an artificial intelligence company established by Elon Musk with an ambitious mission to "understand the true nature of the universe." Founded in July 2023, the company aims to develop advanced AI systems that are not only highly capable but also maximally curious and truthful, differentiating itself from other major AI players by emphasizing a quest for understanding over mere utility or performance benchmarks. xAI operates independently but works closely with X (formerly Twitter) and other companies under Musk's umbrella, leveraging data and resources to accelerate its research and development. The team comprises leading experts from prominent AI organizations like DeepMind, OpenAI, Google Research, Microsoft Research, and Tesla.

The company's primary product is Grok, an AI chatbot designed to answer questions with a bit of wit and a rebellious streak, and specifically trained to have real-time access to information via the X platform. Grok aims to offer users a more dynamic and engaging conversational experience, including the ability to tackle questions that are often rejected by other AI systems. Beyond Grok, xAI's long-term vision involves pushing the boundaries of what AI can achieve in terms of reasoning, truthfulness, and general intelligence, with an ultimate goal of creating AI that can help humanity further its collective knowledge and scientific discovery.