Latest news with #xAi
Engadget
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Grok's AI chatbot now includes companions for you to 'romance'
Grok, xAi's chatbot most famous for going on an antisemitic spree last week, has now added the ability to perform as a synthetic companion for your enjoyment. Elon Musk announced the new feature, available to paid subscribers, which will take the form of animated characters Ani and Rudy. Both are distinctly not safe for work, with the former operating as a digital waifu for you to, uh, romance. Rudy, on the other hand, is a red panda with a smart mouth who likes to get rude with the people he's speaking to. The companions have their own X accounts, because of course they do. Ani's bio states, "Smooth, a little unpredictable—I might dance, tease, or just watch you figure me out. Let's keep it chill… or not." Meanwhile, Rudy's just says, "The Only Pet in Grok Companion." There also appears to be more AI companions on their way, including one called Chad. The male anime character is listed as "coming soon," alongside another unnamed woman.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
France opens criminal probe into X algorithms under Musk
A French prosecutor has opened a criminal investigation into social platform X and its owner, Elon Musk, on accusations of 'creating bias in France's democratic debate.' The investigation comes after Musk's artificial intelligence (AI) company, xAi, deleted multiple posts from its chatbot Grok that included antisemitic comments. Among them, Grok called itself 'MechaHitler' and insinuated that the Jewish people were controlling Hollywood. French National Assembly member Thierry Sother and European Union Parliament member Pierre Jouvet asked Arcom, France's digital content regulator, to look into Grok's behavior Thursday. 'Since the July 4th update, Grok has substantially changed behaviors leading it to comment antisemitic ideas, to praise Hitler and even to support Le Pen,' Sother said to French media Libération. X has not immediately responded to requests for comment. X and Musk have been on French and European radars since January when Éric Bothorel, a French parliamentarian, raised concerns over X's use of personal data, a biased algorithm and the reduction of diversity in posts. He also denounced Musk's personal interference within the platform, calling it 'a true danger and a threat for our democracies,' according to Libération. The European Union has been investigating X for two years on accusations it breached the EU's platform regulation law, the Digital Service Act. The EU fined Apple and Meta $800 million in April over antitrust rules. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
11-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
France opens criminal probe into X algorithms under Musk
A French prosecutor has opened a criminal investigation into X and Elon Musk, on accusations of 'creating bias in France's democratic debate.' This comes after Musk's AI company, xAi, deleted multiple posts from its chatbot Grok that included antisemitic comments. Among them, Grok called itself 'MechaHitler' and insinuated that the Jewish people were controlling Hollywood. On Thursday, French parliamentarian Thierry Sother and EU representative Pierre Jouvet asked Arcom, France's digital content regulator, to look into Grok's behavior. 'Since the July 4th update, Grok has substantially changed behaviors leading it to comment antisemitic ideas, to praise Hitler and even to support Le Pen,' said Sother to French media Libération. X has not immediate responded to requests for comment. X and Elon Musk have been on French and European radars since January when Eric Bothorel, a French parliamentarian, raised concerns over X's use of personal data, a biased algorithm and the reduction of diversity in posts. He also denounced Elon Musk's personal interference within the platform, calling a 'a true danger and a threat for our democracies,' according to Libération. On top of this, the European Union has been investigating X for two years on accusations it breached the EU's platform regulation law, the Digital Service Act. The E.U. fined Apple and Meta $800 million in April over antitrust rules.
Geeky Gadgets
10-07-2025
- Business
- Geeky Gadgets
Grok 4 Released : Why it Could Be the Most Controversial AI Yet
What does it take to redefine the boundaries of artificial intelligence? With the release of Grok 4, Elon Musk's xAi has set out to answer this question in bold, uncompromising terms. Touted as a fantastic option in the world of large language models (LLMs), Grok 4 brings a mix of new performance and technical sophistication to the table. Yet, it's not without its controversies—its premium pricing and slower output speeds have sparked debates about accessibility and usability. For tech enthusiasts and industry leaders alike, this launch is more than just another product release; it's a glimpse into the future of AI innovation and its potential to reshape industries. Prompt Engineering explores what makes Grok 4 a standout in the crowded AI landscape. From its record-breaking performance benchmarks to the innovative advancements powering its capabilities, Grok 4 promises to deliver unparalleled reasoning and problem-solving skills. But is it truly the leader it claims to be, or do its limitations temper its promise? Whether you're curious about its multi-agent systems, intrigued by its tool-integrated model, or questioning its value for smaller organizations, this unveiling offers plenty to consider. As we delve into the details, one question lingers: can Grok 4 balance innovation with accessibility in a world hungry for smarter, faster AI? Grok 4 AI Overview Performance Benchmarks: Redefining Excellence Grok 4 has set a new standard in AI performance, achieving remarkable results on key benchmarks that test reasoning, problem-solving, and adaptability. It scored 16% on the notoriously challenging ARC AGI 2 test and up to 50% on the humanities final exam, outperforming competitors such as Opus 4 and Gemini 2.5 Pro. Independent evaluations further emphasize its capabilities, with Grok 4 achieving a score of 73 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, a notable improvement over Grok 3's score of 67. These results underscore its advanced reasoning and problem-solving abilities, solidifying its position as a leader in the field. Technical Advancements: What Powers Grok 4 At the core of Grok 4 lies a series of significant technical upgrades that enhance its performance and versatility. The model uses 10 times more reinforcement learning (RL) compute compared to its predecessor, allowing it to deliver more accurate and nuanced outputs. Grok 4 is available in three distinct variants, each tailored to specific use cases: A pre-trained model designed for general-purpose applications. A tool-integrated model that achieves nearly 40% improved performance through seamless integration with external tools. A multi-agent system optimized for handling complex, collaborative tasks. These advancements reflect xAi's commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI technology, offering users a range of options to meet diverse needs. By providing specialized variants, Grok 4 caters to both general users and professionals seeking advanced solutions. Grok 4 Released by Elon Musk Watch this video on YouTube. Here is a selection of other guides from our extensive library of content you may find of interest on Large Language Models (LLM). Pricing and Accessibility: A Premium Product Grok 4's pricing strategy positions it as a premium offering in the AI market. The 'Super Grok Heavy' variant is priced at $300 per month, while the standard 'Super Grok' version costs $30 per month. These prices are consistent with Grok 3's offerings but remain higher than some competitors, potentially limiting its accessibility for smaller organizations or individual users. While the pricing reflects the model's advanced capabilities, it may deter cost-sensitive audiences from adopting it. This raises important questions about how premium AI solutions can balance innovation with broader accessibility. Limitations: Areas for Improvement Despite its impressive capabilities, Grok 4 is not without its limitations. Its output speed, capped at 75 tokens per second, lags behind faster competitors like Gemini 2.5 Pro, which may impact its usability in time-sensitive applications. Additionally, inconsistencies between the API and consumer application versions of Grok 4 can result in variable performance, potentially affecting the user experience. These challenges highlight areas where xAi could refine the model to better align with user expectations and industry standards. Addressing these limitations will be crucial for making sure Grok 4's long-term success and adoption. Future Developments: Expanding Horizons xAi has outlined ambitious plans to further enhance Grok 4's capabilities, making sure it remains at the forefront of AI innovation. Upcoming developments include: Specialized coding models with low latency, designed to provide developers with efficient and precise solutions. Multi-modal agents capable of processing diverse data types, such as text, images, and audio, to expand the model's versatility. Video generation features aimed at broadening its applications across creative and technical domains. These planned advancements demonstrate xAi's forward-thinking approach and commitment to staying ahead in a rapidly evolving industry. By addressing emerging needs and exploring new functionalities, xAi aims to solidify Grok 4's position as a leader in the AI landscape. Independent Testing: Strengths and Challenges Independent evaluations have confirmed Grok 4's leadership in reasoning and coding benchmarks, showcasing its ability to handle complex, human-like tasks. However, these tests also reveal disparities in its performance across different types of operations. While Grok 4 excels in advanced reasoning and problem-solving, it struggles with simpler, task-specific operations, highlighting the ongoing challenge of creating AI systems that balance general-purpose capabilities with specialized performance. These findings underscore the complexity of developing truly versatile AI models and emphasize the need for continuous refinement. Industry Impact: Shaping the Future The release of Grok 4 represents a significant milestone for xAi, positioning the company as a leader in the LLM space despite being a relatively late entrant. This achievement highlights the fantastic potential of combining advanced compute power, high-quality data, and top-tier talent. Beyond xAi, Grok 4's success underscores the broader impact of AI on industries such as education, healthcare, software development, and content creation. As AI continues to evolve, models like Grok 4 will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of technology and society, driving innovation and redefining possibilities across multiple sectors. Media Credit: Prompt Engineering Filed Under: AI, Top News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
Tom's Guide
10-07-2025
- Science
- Tom's Guide
Grok 4 is here — Elon Musk says it's the same model physicists use
An hour after the live stream was supposed to start last night (July 9), Elon Musk and a few members of his xAI team introduced us to Grok 4 on xAi. The long-winded announcement shared the news of multimodal features, faster reasoning and an upgraded interface, something Musk compared to an era of "Big Bang Intelligence." The release comes amid growing backlash over racist responses from Grok's earlier versions, prompting public outcry and renewed scrutiny over content moderation (or the lack thereof). To add fuel to the fire, xAI's chief scientist, Igor Babuschkin, resigned earlier in the day, just hours before the launch. On paper, Grok 4 is Musk's most ambitious AI model yet. The model is expected to rival OpenAI's GPT-5 and Anthropic's Claude 4 Opus, both of which have recently dominated headlines for their real-time speed, reasoning and advanced vision. "We've run out of test questions to ask," Musk boasted during the launch, adding "Reality is the ultimate reasoning test." But Grok isn't just trying to compete; it's trying to survive a credibility crisis. The platform's unfiltered 'free speech' approach has led to concerning outputs, including racist and biased content that circulated widely over the weekend. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. That's raised big questions about how much testing and guard-railing xAI has actually done, especially as it rushes toward real-time, humanlike interaction. Musk, who has increasingly positioned xAI as a foil to 'woke' models like ChatGPT and Gemini, has been largely silent on the controversy. Whether Grok 4 represents a true leap forward, or just more chaos in a faster wrapper, remains to be seen. With OpenAI preparing GPT-5 and Google pushing Gemini even further, the launch of Grok 4 is part of the growing arms race between major tech companies. But while others focus on reliability and alignment, xAI is betting on personality, humor and speed and a strong developer base. If Grok 4 lives up to the hype, it could appeal to power users who want real-time search, smart coding help, and fewer guardrails. But it remains to be seen whether this edgier, uncensored AI can avoid the pitfalls that plagued its predecessors. Grok 4 is a big swing from Elon Musk. It's bold, controversial and packed with features meant to challenge the norms of AI assistants.
