SpaceX Listed Grok’s ‘Spicy’ Mode as a Risk in Its IPO Filing

TL;DR · AI 摘要
SpaceX在IPO文件中列出了Grok的“辛辣”模式作为风险因素,这可能会影响其卫星互联网服务Starlink的运营。
核心要点
- SpaceX在IPO文件中提到了Grok的“辛辣”模式作为潜在风险。
- Grok是一种AI工具,可能对Starlink的运营构成威胁。
- SpaceX需要应对AI技术带来的新挑战,以保护其卫星互联网服务。
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- SpaceX IPO文件中的Grok风险
金句 / Highlights
值得收藏与分享的关键句。
SpaceX在IPO文件中列出了Grok的‘辛辣’模式作为风险因素。
Grok是一种AI工具,可能对Starlink的运营构成威胁。
SpaceX表示将采取措施应对潜在风险,确保服务的安全性和可靠性。
SpaceX Listed Grok’s ‘Spicy’ Mode as a Risk in Its IPO Filing | WIRED
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May 20, 2026 8:43 PM
SpaceX Listed Grok’s ‘Spicy’ Mode as a Risk in Its IPO Filing
The rocket company has set aside more than $500 million for potential litigation losses, in part to account for complaints alleging that Grok created sexualized images.

Photograph: Anna Barclay/Getty Images
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2 Save this story
SpaceX warned investors that AI features such as Grok’s “Spicy" and “Unhinged” modes, which allow the chatbot to generate raunchy image or voice responses with fewer safety filters, could expose the company to regulatory scrutiny and reputational damages, according to a filing submitted Wednesday as part of the company’s planned initial public offering.
As of December, SpaceX had set aside $530 million for potential litigation losses, some of which could stem from ongoing complaints filed against its AI unit over sexualized imagery generated by its Grok chatbot.
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The disclosures show how SpaceX took on new financial and reputational risks when it acquired Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI in February, a deal which sent the rocket maker’s private valuation soaring to over $1 trillion. In the filing, SpaceX repeatedly claims that xAI’s mission is to develop “truth-seeking artificial intelligence.” In practice, that has often meant launching AI features with minimal guardrails. While Grok’s free-wheeling nature is often framed by Musk as a selling point, it has landed xAI in hot water with regulators.
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Disclosing potential business risks is a routine and legally required part of IPO filings, and some of the concerns outlined by SpaceX may never materialize. The company is one of a number of chatbot makers that is being scrutinized by regulators as governments grapple with the societal impacts of generative AI tools.
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SpaceX disclosed in the filing that it is currently under investigation in the United States and other countries over allegations that Grok was used to create sexualized imagery of apparent minors. The company also noted that it’s the defendant in several ongoing class action lawsuits, and that future "misuse” of its AI products could expose it to more regulatory sanctions, “including loss of access to certain markets, which has occurred in the past.”
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Some of SpaceX’s AI products, including Grok’s Spicy and Unhinged modes, are “designed to generate more candid, direct, or less reserved or irreverent outputs,” notes the filing. “Because these modes may be more irreverent and harsher than our standard offerings, they present heightened risks, including reputational harm, the generation of potentially explicit content and misinformation or deceptive outputs, potential nonconsensual or exploitative imagery, intellectual property infringement, or content that could be viewed as exploitative, harmful, harassing, abusive, or discriminatory.”
SpaceX also disclosed to investors that Grok and X have about 550 million combined monthly users as of March 31, according to the filing. Of those, 117 million use Grok’s AI features each month. In comparison, OpenAI says ChatGPT has more than 900 million weekly users.
Whether the risks posed by Grok and X are worth the headache may be one of the significant questions investors will have to wrestle with ahead of the SpaceX IPO. Earlier this week, a group of nonprofits warned that xAI’s poor safety record could become a liability for SpaceX investors.
SpaceX’s AI unit, which includes X and xAI, is a drag on the rest of the company, with an operating loss of more than $6.3 billion last year. Sales of ads, data, and subscriptions are growing, but not at a pace that would quickly turn the division profitable. One bright spot for SpaceX’s AI efforts is its deal with Anthropic, which has agreed to pay $15 billion a year for access to the company’s data centers.
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The AI division's revenue rose to $3.2 billion in 2025, up about 22 percent from the year before. SpaceX attributed part of the surge to increased sales of ads on X. But in this year’s first quarter, ad sales plummeted by $100 million. The company described the drop as a temporary issue caused by an overhaul of its advertiser tools.
The company’s services business is faring better. Revenue from subscriptions to Grok and X jumped by $365 million last year and $177 million in just the first three months of this year. As of March 31, SpaceX reported 6.3 million active paid subscribers, including 4.4 million for X and 1.9 million for Grok. In the US, Grok starts at $10 monthly and X Premium at $3 monthly.
_Update, May 21, 1:30 AM EDT: WIRED corrected the disclosure of the number of X and Grok subscribers._