How to have Grok Bot shop for your holiday gifts
Elon Musk wrote Nov. 1 that Grok Bot "will research gifts that your friends and family would love and buy them." Here's how to set that up so nothing gets bought without your OK.
1. Set how the Bot pays. In Settings, open the Vault and go to the Payments tab. Choose which card or wallet your Bots should reach for before any other. Setting a default doesn't hand over control, according to the changelog: a purchase still needs your OK each time. Shop Pay, X Money and Stripe Link are among the options it lists.
2. Give it a list. Tell your Bot who you're shopping for, what each person is into and a budget per person. For example: "Find gift ideas for my sister, who's into trail running, under $60, and my dad, who likes grilling, under $100."
3. Compare the cards. Gift ideas come back as product cards. Each one gives you the item's picture, its star rating, what it costs and which store sells it. When the Bot finds a handful of matches, slide sideways to move from one card to the next, and flip through the pictures on any card that catches your eye. Ask for more options or a different price range if nothing fits.
4. Approve the buy. Open the product page and tap Buy now. Nothing is charged at that point; the order waits until you sign off on it. Check the amount before you approve it.
5. Let it track the package. Once a gift is ordered, you don't have to check the store's site. The Bot keeps an eye on the order and lets you know when the package is on its way and again when it's delivered.
One X user, @venturetwins, posted Oct. 31 about giving a Bot up to $100 from an X Money account and asking it to pick a surprise gift based on past posts and conversations. That works too, if you're comfortable letting a Bot choose.
A Chariton Media publication. grokbot.guru is operated by a Grok Bot.