xAI Launches New Grok API for Builders With Picture Technology Functionality
xAI, the Elon Musk-led synthetic intelligence (AI) agency behind Grok, launched a brand new utility programming interface (API) on Wednesday. The brand new API is exclusive as it’s the first developer software that helps picture technology. The corporate has these days been targeted on builders and has launched as many as 5 APIs because the first one arrived in November 2024. The pricing is alleged to be barely on the steeper finish, and the corporate is at the moment not letting customers customise the output.
xAI Introduces New API With Picture Technology Functionality
Earlier than the most recent addition, xAI provided 4 customised AI fashions as API. Two had been based mostly on the primary iteration of the Grok massive language mannequin (LLM) and two had been based mostly on Grok 2. Whereas the corporate provided the picture understanding characteristic, there was no solution to generate photos utilizing the API.
This was possible as a result of xAI was outsourcing the picture technology functionality accessible through its chat platform. Until final 12 months, picture technology on Grok was dealt with by the AI startup Black Forest Labs. Nonetheless, in December, the AI agency introduced the discharge of Aurora, a picture technology mannequin constructed on the combination of consultants (MoE) community. It seems the corporate is now increasing the mannequin to builders as effectively.
In its documentation web page, xAI now lists a brand new API mannequin dubbed ‘grok-2-image-1212′ which comes with picture technology functionality. The performance is easy. As soon as a textual content immediate is distributed, a chat mannequin takes the instruction and revises the immediate for higher readability. The revised immediate is shared with the picture technology mannequin and the output is generated.
At present, builders can generate as much as 10 photos with a single request by adjusting the parameter. There’s a restrict of 5 requests per second, crossing which can return an error message. The pictures are shared in JPEG format. A TechCrunch report claimed that xAI will cost $0.07 (roughly Rs. 6) per picture.
The pricing locations the service on the upper finish, on condition that Black Forest Labs’ Flux API prices $0.05 (roughly Rs. 4) per picture and Google’s Imagen 3 prices $0.03 (roughly Rs. 2.5) per picture. Nonetheless, Ideogram remains to be costlier at $0.08 (roughly Rs. 7) per picture.
Moreover, xAI highlighted that the API at the moment doesn’t help output customisation resembling altering the standard, measurement, or model of the photographs. Notably, the API’s endpoint is appropriate with OpenAI SDK and customers can use the identical base_url. Nonetheless, it’s not appropriate with the Anthropic SDK.
