Elon Musk’s xAI has introduced Grok-3, an advanced artificial intelligence model that boasts more than ten times the computing power of its predecessor. According to xAI, this latest flagship model surpasses OpenAI’s GPT-4o, Google’s Gemini, and DeepSeek’s V3 in early assessments, now featuring enhanced reasoning capabilities.
Reasoning models are specifically designed to tackle complex inquiries by deconstructing instructions into manageable tasks and self-fact-checking before arriving at a solution, aiming to deliver superior outcomes. Competitors like OpenAI’s o1, DeepSeek’s R1, and Google’s Gemini Flash Thinking have also developed similar models.
Grok-3 offers two reasoning modes: “Think,” which reveals Grok’s thought process in real-time, and “Big Brain,” designed for more complex tasks requiring additional computational resources. Furthermore, xAI is launching a Grok AI agent product known as Deep Search, described as a next-generation search engine.
Here are the new reasoning options in the Grok app. | Image: xAI”>
Musk characterizes Grok-3 as a “maximally truth-seeking AI,” even if its conclusions sometimes contradict political correctness. Earlier versions of the xAI chatbot faced backlash for spreading election misinformation and having inadequate safeguards on text-to-image generation, which permitted the creation of questionable or offensive imagery. In contrast, OpenAI is exploring approaches to develop its models to “seek the truth” regarding controversial subjects while maintaining essential safety measures.
The Grok-3 reasoning features are accessible within the Grok app for subscribers of X Premium Plus, which now starts at $40 per month. This marks the second price increase for Premium Plus in just two months, up from $16 to $22 in December. Additionally, xAI is introducing a new subscription option, SuperGrok, promising “the most advanced capabilities and earliest access to new features.” SuperGrok is expected to cost $30 per month, though it remains unclear if this is an additional charge on top of X subscriptions.
Elon Musk announced that the Grok chatbot will soon feature a synthesized voice similar to OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode for ChatGPT. xAI also intends to make Grok-2 open-source in the upcoming months.
