Tesla gives drivers an AI chatbot to talk to, but only in the US

Around July 12, 2025, Tesla began rolling out the Grok AI chatbot in its cars. Grok is developed by xAI and arrives with software update 2025.26. That means drivers can hold a conversation with an AI directly from the car's screen.

Who gets it?

New Tesla cars delivered from July 12, 2025, get Grok at no extra cost, Engadget reports. Older cars can also get it if they have an AMD Ryzen processor. According to eWeek, that applies to most Tesla cars from mid-2021 and later, including the Model S, 3, X, Y and Cybertruck.

The rollout is initially limited to the US market.

The sources do not fully agree on the access requirements. Engadget writes that Grok requires Wi-Fi or a Premium Connectivity subscription, which according to Engadget costs $9.99. eWeek, on the other hand, says no separate subscription is required.

Conversation, not control

Grok is purely a chatbot. It cannot control the car's functions such as navigation, volume or temperature, and the existing voice commands are unchanged. In Tesla's release notes, as reproduced by eWeek, it says: "Grok is currently in beta and does not issue commands to your car - existing voice commands remain unchanged."

Beta means the feature is still under development and may have bugs.

Users can choose a voice and personality, from "Narrator" to "Unhinged," that is, from a storytelling tone to an unrestrained one. Grok is opened via the app menu or by holding down the right scroll button on the steering wheel. According to the release notes, conversations are anonymous and not linked to the car.

Criticism in the background

The rollout came shortly after criticism of Grok for antisemitic content on X. xAI had apologized and updated the system, eWeek reports.

What comes next?

Tesla says Grok may become available in more cars through future software updates. The company stresses, however, that availability may change or end at any time.