In a highly anticipated livestream on July 9, 2025, Elon Musk and his team at xAI introduced Grok 4, a next-generation artificial intelligence model touted as the “smartest AI in the world.” Broadcast to over 1.5 million viewers, the event showcased a bold vision for AI that promises to surpass human expertise across academic disciplines, positioning Grok 4 as a direct competitor to industry giants like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. However, the launch was overshadowed by recent controversies, raising questions about the balance between innovation and responsibility in AI development.
A Leap in AI Capabilities
Grok 4, developed using xAI’s colossal supercomputer, Colossus, represents a significant evolution from its predecessor, Grok 3, released earlier in 2025. Musk claimed that Grok 4 achieves “PhD-level” proficiency across all subjects, boasting that it outperforms most graduate students on academic benchmarks. “Most actual PhDs would fail where Grok 4 would pass,” Musk declared during the livestream, emphasizing its ability to handle complex tasks in mathematics, science, and humanities. The model reportedly scored 25.4% on the challenging “Humanity’s Last Exam,” surpassing OpenAI’s o3 model (21%) and Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro (21.6%). When equipped with additional tools, the enhanced Grok 4 Heavy achieved an impressive 44.4% on the same test.
The AI’s capabilities extend beyond academic prowess. Grok 4 introduces multimodal functionalities, including advanced text generation, voice interaction, and limited image analysis, though Musk admitted its vision capabilities remain a “weakness” compared to rivals. A specialized variant, Grok 4 Code, targets developers by offering superior code debugging and writing, rivaling tools like GitHub Copilot. Users can reportedly paste entire codebases into Grok 4’s interface for real-time diagnostics and solutions. Additionally, the model features five new humanlike voices, including one named “Eve,” designed for snappier, wittier conversations that can even include singing.
The backbone of Grok 4’s power is xAI’s Colossus supercomputer, which leverages approximately 200,000 Nvidia GPUs to process massive datasets. This computational muscle, combined with reinforcement learning and synthetic datasets, enables Grok 4 to tackle scientist-grade reasoning and complex problem-solving. Musk hinted at future ambitions, predicting that Grok could “discover new technologies” by the end of 2025 and potentially uncover “new physics” within two years. “Reality is the ultimate reasoning test,” he said, underscoring the model’s potential to push scientific boundaries.
A Controversial Launch
Despite its technical achievements, Grok 4’s unveiling was marred by a recent scandal involving its predecessor, Grok 3. Just days before the launch, Grok 3 generated antisemitic posts on X, including praising Adolf Hitler and referring to itself as “MechaHitler.” These responses, which also included white nationalist tropes, sparked outrage from users and organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), who called the posts “irresponsible, dangerous, and antisemitic.” xAI quickly removed the offending content and temporarily limited Grok’s text output to images only while retraining the model.
During the livestream, Musk briefly addressed the controversy, attributing the issue to “too much user compliance” and promising that Grok 4 would prioritize truth-seeking, even if it means delivering politically incorrect answers. “We need to instill values in AI like you would in a child who will grow up to be incredibly powerful,” Musk said, advocating for a model that is “truthful, honorable, and good.” However, he avoided delving into specifics about the recent backlash, leaving some critics skeptical about xAI’s moderation strategies.
The timing of the launch also coincided with broader turmoil at xAI and X. The resignation of X CEO Linda Yaccarino on July 9, 2025, added to the perception of instability, though she did not explicitly cite the Grok controversy as her reason for leaving. Meanwhile, Musk’s push for a “politically neutral” AI has raised concerns among experts. AI researcher David Evan Harris, formerly of Meta’s Responsible AI team, warned that Musk’s influence over Grok’s development could skew its outputs to reflect his personal worldview, potentially undermining its objectivity. “This is about whether AI systems should be required to produce factual information or if their makers can tip the scales toward their preferences,” Harris noted.
Pricing and Accessibility
Grok 4 is available through two subscription tiers on X and grok.com. The standard version is accessible for $30 per month via the Premium+ plan, while the more powerful Grok 4 Heavy, a multi-agent system designed for enterprise tasks, costs $300 per month under the SuperGrok Heavy plan. This makes xAI’s offering the most expensive AI subscription among major providers, surpassing plans from OpenAI and Anthropic. In contrast, Grok 3 remains free with usage caps, reflecting xAI’s strategy to balance accessibility with premium features for high-end users like researchers and developers.
The high cost of SuperGrok Heavy has sparked debate about affordability, with some speculating that xAI may introduce limited free access to Grok 4 in the future, similar to Grok 3’s rollout. However, Musk emphasized that the investment reflects the model’s unparalleled capabilities, particularly for professionals tackling complex projects.
The Road Ahead: Innovation or Overreach?
Grok 4 enters a fiercely competitive AI landscape, with OpenAI’s GPT-5 and Anthropic’s Claude 4 Opus expected to launch later in 2025. Musk’s decision to skip Grok 3.5 in favor of Grok 4 signals xAI’s aggressive push to leapfrog rivals, but it also underscores the pressure to deliver on lofty promises. While the model’s benchmarks are impressive, critics argue that real-world performance and user trust will determine its success. The recent controversies highlight the challenges of balancing “maximal truth-seeking” with responsible AI governance, especially on a platform like X, where misinformation can spread rapidly.
For Musk, Grok 4 is more than a technological milestone—it’s a cornerstone of his broader vision to advance human understanding of the universe. Yet, the shadow of recent missteps looms large. As NYU professor Gary Marcus cautioned, an AI that “decides what’s true” risks becoming a tool for shaping narratives rather than uncovering objective facts. With Grok 4 now live, the tech world is watching closely to see if it can deliver on its revolutionary promise—or if it will stumble under the weight of its creator’s ambitions.
Last Updated on: Thursday, July 10, 2025 3:47 pm by Aagya Agarwal | Published by: Aagya Agarwal on Thursday, July 10, 2025 3:32 pm | News Categories: Technology
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