Grok 3’s voice mode is unhinged, and that’s the point

Elon Musk and Grok.
(Image credit: Shutterstock/JR des)

  • xAI’s Grok 3 chatbot has added a voice mode with multiple personalities
  • One personality is called “unhinged” and will scream and insult you
  • Grok also has personalities for NSFW roleplay, crazy conspiracies, and an “Unlicensed Therapist” mode

AI voice assistants are usually polite, informative, and calm when they respond to you. xAI’s Grok 3 has apparently decided to set that strategy on fire, sending it literally screaming into the void.

Grok 3 has multiple voice options, each with a distinct personality, including an “unhinged” option that will yell, insult, and indeed scream at you before shutting down in the right circumstances.

AI developer Riley Goodside showcased just how wild the unhinged voice for Grok 3 can be in a recording where he repeatedly interrupts Grok’s responses. The AI soon becomes frustrated and finally snaps, letting out a disturbingly long, horror-movie-worthy shriek. It then throws in a final insult before cutting the call. A masterpiece of customer service, this is not. You can hear it in the clip below.

Voice of the unhinged

The “unhinged” personality is just one of several that Grok’s new voice mode offers. There’s also “Storyteller,” which does exactly what it sounds like; “Conspiracy,” which is really into Sasquatch and alien abductions; and “Unlicensed Therapist,” a personality that apparently failed the exams, possibly over a lack of empathy.

Then there’s “Sexy” mode, which is labeled 18+ and, unlike the voice settings of competitors like ChatGPT, does not shy away from full-on roleplaying NSFW scenarios. So, Grok will scream at you or whisper sweet nothings into your ear, depending on your preference.

It's a vision of AI that may not appeal to everyone. That said, it completely aligns with how CEO Elon Musk described xAI's goals in countering what he claims are overly sanitized and politically correct AI models from companies like OpenAI. While OpenAI’s ChatGPT has a voice feature, it’s still programmed to maintain a neutral, controlled demeanor. Grok, on the other hand, is unpredictable. It doesn’t just let you talk over it; it may react aggressively or emotionally. Not that you'd notice in the official promotions, however.

Most mainstream AI tools have strict guidelines about content, particularly around "adult" topics. Grok 3 has seemingly been programmed with the opposite philosophy, except for when the company decides the model needs to be "corrected" in claims about the CEO.

Of course, this approach isn’t without controversy. AI personalities like “Unlicensed Therapist” could easily give people misleading or unhelpful advice, while a chatbot that openly encourages conspiracy theories seems like it could go off the rails quickly. And the “Sexy” mode? Well, that’s another ethical discussion that few would expect to have regarding mainstream AI tools. There’s also the question of how much of this is genuinely useful versus just pure spectacle. Very loud spectacle.

You might also like

Eric Hal Schwartz
Contributor

Eric Hal Schwartz is a freelance writer for TechRadar with more than 15 years of experience covering the intersection of the world and technology. For the last five years, he served as head writer for Voicebot.ai and was on the leading edge of reporting on generative AI and large language models. He's since become an expert on the products of generative AI models, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Google Gemini, and every other synthetic media tool. His experience runs the gamut of media, including print, digital, broadcast, and live events. Now, he's continuing to tell the stories people want and need to hear about the rapidly evolving AI space and its impact on their lives. Eric is based in New York City.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Elon Musk and Grok.
What is Grok: This chatbot is brimming with attitude
xAI Grok
Grok steps out to mobile with new standalone iOS app
Elon Musk's new artificial intelligence logo
Grok 3 launches today as Elon Musk's ‘scary good’ AI chatbot looks set to take on ChatGPT
Elon Musk and Grok.
Elon Musk says Grok 2 is going open source as he rolls out Grok 3 for Premium+ X subscribers only
AI
I tried the most realistic AI voice companion ever created - if ChatGPT or Gemini ever gets this good, reality is in trouble
ChatGPT Advanced Voice mode on a smartphone.
Talking to ChatGPT just got better, and you don’t need to pay to access the new functionality
Latest in Artificial Intelligence
Google Gemini 2.5 and ChatGPT o3-mini
I pitted Gemini 2.5 Pro against ChatGPT o3-mini to find out which AI reasoning model is best
Opera AI Tabs
Opera's new AI feature brings order to your browser tab chaos
Apple WWDC 2025 announced
3 things Apple needs to do at WWDC 2025 to save Apple Intelligence, and why I'm convinced it will
Chat GPT-generated images along with source material
ChatGPT 4o image generation is so good we will never be able to trust iPhone renders (and photos) again
Gemini on a smartphone.
Gemini 2.5 is now available for Advanced users and it seriously improves Google’s AI reasoning
Pixel Studio on an phone
Pixel Studio on the Pixel 9 now lets you generate AI images of people, and the results can be terrifying
Latest in News
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin Rennovations
Disney’s giving a classic Buzz Lightyear ride a tech overhaul – here's everything you need to know
Hisense U8 series TV on wall in living room
Hisense announces 2025 mini-LED TV lineup, with screen sizes up to 100 inches – and a surprising smart TV switch
Nintendo Music teaser art
Nintendo Music expands its library with songs from Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Tetris
Opera AI Tabs
Opera's new AI feature brings order to your browser tab chaos
An image of Pro-Ject's Flatten it closed and opened
Pro-Ject’s new vinyl flattener will fix any warped LPs you inadvertently buy on Record Store Day
The iPhone 16 Pro on a grey background
iPhone 17 Pro tipped to get 8K video recording – but I want these 3 video features instead