That’s a pretty interesting and loaded title. Recently, Razer unveiled Project AVA, an AI-powered desktop device that houses a holographic representation of what has been described as a ‘waifu’. The cylindrical device uses Grok AI and dynamic personality metrics to embody a 3D hologram with ‘human-life vision’ and ‘full contextual awareness’.
The conceptual device has been described as an ‘enthusiastic gaming wingman,’ and it sits on your desk, organizes your day, and keeps you company with a conversational model backed (at least initially) by Elon Musk’s Grok AI.
Recently, the firm’s CEO explained why they’re leading the way with Grok, given all the recent scandals.
Why is Project AVA Using Grok? Because It’s the Best
Project AVA was unveiled by Razer at CES, emerging as one of the most innovative (and perhaps invasive) inventions at the show. It’s a small, Razer Chroma-backed tubular device that has minimal inputs and maximum practicality, apparently. It has an HD camera, microphones, an LED system, and, most importantly, a 5.5-inch, 3D holographic avatar projection system.
Razer has unveiled a string of ‘companions’ that users can pick from to power their wingman device. It’s a relatively bizarre lineup, but it’s worth stressing right now that there’s no release date for the device. Razer has no idea when Project AVA will leave the conceptual stage.
First, there’s AVA, a throbbing circle of Razer-branded energy that doesn’t take a human form. There’s Kira, your traditional anime waifu model, dubbed the ‘loveliest gaming partner’, and then there’s Zane, a muscular, traditionally handsome, and tattooed male model.
The roster continues with Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, one of the most recognizable esports pro players in the world and a certified GOAT of the League of Legends space. Finally, you’ve got SAO, a corporate female character modelled on kawausosuki0513, a Japanese ‘office lady’ creator.
Right now, the biggest point of contention around Project AVA is the fact that Grok is the AI engine powering its development. In recent weeks, Grok has come under intense fire as the AI model has been stripping people naked on Twitter (now known as X) at the simplest request.
In a recent interview, Razer’s CEO, Min-Liang Tan, explained why the company had gone with Grok first:
Well, I think for Grok, you know… We picked Grok also because it’s got the best conversational AI at this point, for us. At least from a conversation, personality side of things, and that’s one of the things that we looked at from a tech perspective. Now, ultimately, however, we do see Ava as an open platform, right?
If somebody wants to be able to use a different model, it’s one of the things that we’re taking into consideration. And we are multi-model, right? But I think from a perspective of an avatar, from a conversational AI for CES, we feel that Grok has a really great conversational AI model at this point. So that’s one of the reasons why we picked Grok.
When asked how Razer can ensure user safety, Tan said:
I think we’re still in the early days. Now, the question, I think, where it’s going to lead to is something that we need to discover, right? And, of course, we need to discover it in a responsible manner to figure out how we do that, and put the right guardrails in. What do we do in terms of AI, in terms of this? That’s something that we’re learning.
Now, maybe it’s even a hardware lock that we need to put in. We don’t know, right? Or it’s more software guardrails that we have to put into place at this point in time.
That’s one of the reasons why we decided to put it as a concept first out there, to get the feedback. And we’re not gonna be able to think of everything, but we would like to be able to get as much thought, concern, and care into the product before we actually launch it.
Do you think there’s anything super concerning about having a Grok-powered device with cameras and microphones on your desk? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming tech coverage, check out the news that the Google Pixel 10A could be released this March
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
Really disappointed in razer right about now. I mean. I have been for a while but using grok is just a brain-dead way to tell your customers you don’t care about marginalized people or associating with that whole pdf creation machine grok “accidently” became recently.
Grok is the most unhinged AI model out there, always has been. This is going to go sideways really fast, if anyone actually buys this. No way I’d let my children interact with this.