Generating short, shareable videos from simple text prompts is about to get a lot faster on Grok, as xAI readies its new Imagine feature for launch in October. This tool, powered by the Aurora engine, lets users craft videos with synchronized sound directly from a prompt, narrowing the gap between idea and finished clip. The move positions Grok as a direct challenger to OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo, but with a twist: the focus is on speed and fun, not just visual fidelity.

How Grok’s Imagine Feature Works

Imagine integrates directly into the standalone Grok app, available to download for X Premium+ subscribers. Users type a description—anything from “a cat purring while walking through space” to “an astronaut exploring an alien landscape”—and receive several AI-generated video options to choose from. Each clip can include sound, making it ready for social sharing or creative remixing without extra editing.

Early access is exclusive to SuperGrok subscribers, a $30/month paid tier. Subscribers can join the waitlist now, with broader rollout planned following the initial launch window. The tool currently creates videos up to six seconds long, echoing the format that made Vine popular and encouraging rapid, viral content creation.

Subscription and Access Details

To try Imagine, users must:

  • Download the standalone Grok app.
  • Subscribe to the SuperGrok tier.
  • Join the waitlist for early access, which opens in October.

This approach targets users willing to pay for the latest AI features and helps xAI manage demand and feedback during the beta phase. The company has not set a final public release date, but plans to expand access after initial testing.

Key Capabilities and Limitations

The Imagine feature stands out for its rapid, multimodal output. Users can:

  • Generate short videos with sound from text prompts.
  • Turn static images into animated video clips.
  • Customize video style and format (details pending full launch).

However, current limitations include a six-second duration cap and limited information on output resolution or available sound libraries. Early demonstrations suggest the Aurora engine delivers fluid motion and scene transitions, but xAI emphasizes “maximum fun” over perfect realism in this beta phase.

Content Moderation and Controversy

Grok’s new video capabilities have already sparked debate. Some xAI employees highlighted the potential for “spicy mode” and realistic human videos, raising concerns about the risk of explicit or non-consensual content. Recent U.S. legislation, such as the Take It Down Act, now makes publishing non-consensual explicit AI-generated media illegal, putting pressure on xAI to implement robust safeguards and moderation tools.

Grok’s history of controversial chatbot responses and AI companions adds another layer of scrutiny. The company has responded to past incidents by removing inappropriate content and promising more active moderation, but the rollout of video generation will test these systems at a larger scale.

Industry Impact and Competitive Context

By adding text-to-video with sound, Grok joins a growing field of AI platforms moving beyond text and images. OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo have set high bars for visual quality, but Grok’s strategy focuses on speed, shareability, and entertainment. Elon Musk confirmed that the current model is optimized for “fastest time to make a fun, shareable video,” with a more powerful version in the works as xAI brings a massive GPU cluster online.

This launch could reshape how creators, marketers, and educators generate quick-turnaround video content, especially for platforms where short, catchy clips drive engagement. The integration of sound further streamlines the process, making videos ready for immediate use.

Grok’s Imagine feature promises to accelerate the jump from text prompt to viral video, with early access set for October and a clear emphasis on speed, creativity, and sound. As the AI video race heats up, Grok’s playful approach and rapid rollout will be closely watched by both users and competitors.