xAI launches Grok 4, Grok 4 Heavy, SuperGrok Heavy
The launch of a major new version of the Grok AI model should be a triumphant moment for Elon Musk’s xAI, but a week of self-induced chaos has overshadowed the release.
During a midnight livestream on X, Elon Musk was joined by xAI researchers in an awkward product launch for Grok 4, the latest version of the company’s “reasoning” foundational AI model, which Musk called “the smartest AI in the world.”
Several demos walked through the advanced capabilities of the new model, which the company says beats leading state-of-the-art models from OpenAI in several academic and coding benchmarks. Musk also highlighted Grok 4’s new high score in the challenging ARC-AGI 2 benchmark.
Two versions of the model were announced: Grok 4 and Grok 4 Heavy. Access to Grok 4 Heavy requires a $300 per month “SuperGrok Heavy” subscription.
But hanging over all that was a big screwup: just yesterday, the company announced it was removing a number of antisemitic posts that it called “offensive” after Musk forced changes to the Grok chatbot with instructions to not shy away from “politically incorrect claims.” This was followed by X CEO Linda Yaccarino announcing her departure after two years.
Several demos walked through the advanced capabilities of the new model, which the company says beats leading state-of-the-art models from OpenAI in several academic and coding benchmarks. Musk also highlighted Grok 4’s new high score in the challenging ARC-AGI 2 benchmark.
Two versions of the model were announced: Grok 4 and Grok 4 Heavy. Access to Grok 4 Heavy requires a $300 per month “SuperGrok Heavy” subscription.
But hanging over all that was a big screwup: just yesterday, the company announced it was removing a number of antisemitic posts that it called “offensive” after Musk forced changes to the Grok chatbot with instructions to not shy away from “politically incorrect claims.” This was followed by X CEO Linda Yaccarino announcing her departure after two years.
