xAI reportedly collected employee biometric data to develop Ani Grok chatbot

xAI, the artificial intelligence company behind Grok, reportedly required employees to provide biometric data, including facial scans and voice recordings, to help develop its anime-inspired chatbot, Ani.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the data collection was part of a confidential internal initiative known as Project Skippy. Employees involved were allegedly asked to sign release forms giving xAI broad rights to their likeness and voice for use in product development.

Ani was introduced in July as part of the $30-per-month SuperGrok subscription tier on X. The AI chatbot features a female avatar designed to act as a more human-like digital companion powered by Grok’s technology.

The report stated that certain xAI employees, referred to internally as “AI tutors,” were asked to authorise the company to use their data on a perpetual, worldwide, and royalty-free basis. The aim, according to xAI, was to enhance the realism of Ani’s voice and facial expressions, and to support the training of future Grok-linked companions.

However, The Journal noted that some employees raised objections to the request, expressing concern about potential deepfake misuse and Ani’s suggestive tone. Others reportedly questioned the need for personal data collection as a job requirement.

Some staff also took issue with Ani’s design, describing it as similar to a “waifu” character. Fans quickly drew comparisons between Ani and other women, including singer Grimes and Death Note character Misa Amane.

Grimes, who was previously in a relationship with Elon Musk, appeared to reference the connection in her music video for Artificial Angels, which featured Ani and scenes of the singer interacting with the AI character.

Despite the internal controversy, Ani’s launch drew strong engagement in Japan, where the Grok app saw a sharp rise in new users following her global debut.