The real world is complicated, chaotic, and decidedly NSFW. Foundational AI models, however, are trained to pretend otherwise. OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and other major players meticulously sanitize their training data, scrubbing out adult content, extremist ideology, politically sensitive topics, and anything that might trigger regulatory scrutiny or brand risk. The result is a cohort of safe, predictable and polished assistants that play well with risk management frameworks and emerging compliance regimes.
This may sound like progress, and in some ways it is. But Grok 3 challenged the assumption that aggressive content filtering is the only responsible path forward. It demonstrated clear market demand for a model that doesn’t flinch when faced with uncomfortable or taboo subjects.
Now, with the introduction of Grok 3.5, we are about to find out if unfiltered intelligence can coexist with enterprise-grade governance. In 2025, “unfiltered” is no longer a business model. It’s a configurable setting. . -s
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named he covers tech and business for , is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular . He's a , and the creator of the popular, free online course, . Follow or visit .
