Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, has officially launched its latest flagship model, Grok 3, alongside new features for the Grok iOS and web apps. Grok 3 introduces advanced reasoning capabilities, improved accuracy, and a new pricing model for premium users.
[Members of the xAI team, including Musk (far right), during a live-streamed presentation of Grok 3]
According to Musk, it was developed using “10x” more computing power than its predecessor, Grok 2, leveraging a vast dataset that reportedly includes court case filings. The model has been trained in a massive Memphis-based data center housing approximately 200,000 GPUs.
During a live-streamed presentation, Musk emphasized that Grok 3 is an "order of magnitude more capable" than Grok 2. He described it as a "maximally truth-seeking AI", designed to prioritize accuracy over political correctness.
Enhanced Reasoning and Benchmark Performance
Grok 3 introduces a family of models, including Grok 3 mini, which offers faster response times at the cost of some accuracy.
Additionally, two specialized models, Grok 3 Reasoning and Grok 3 mini Reasoning, aim to enhance logical thinking and problem-solving.
These models resemble OpenAI’s o3-mini and DeepSeek’s R1, both known for their ability to validate answers before presenting them.
According to xAI, Grok 3 Reasoning surpasses o3-mini-high on key AI benchmarks, including the 2025 edition of the AIME mathematics test.
Early versions of Grok 3 have also performed well in Chatbot Arena, a crowdsourced evaluation platform where AI models compete based on user preferences.
Users of the Grok app can now activate "Think" mode for enhanced reasoning or "Big Brain" mode for complex queries requiring extra computational power.
Additionally, DeepSearch, a new feature within the Grok app, enables AI-powered research by scanning the web and Musk’s social platform, X, to generate abstracts on specific topics.
Pricing, Future Developments, and Open-Source Plans
To access Grok 3, users must subscribe to X’s Premium+ tier ($50 per month). Additionally, xAI has introduced SuperGrok, a new premium plan priced at $30 per month or $300 per year (based on leaks).
This plan grants access to advanced reasoning, unlimited DeepSearch queries, and image generation.
Upcoming Features and Enterprise API
Musk also announced several upcoming features for the Grok ecosystem:
- Voice Mode: Grok will gain a synthesized voice within a week.
- Enterprise API: Grok 3 models and DeepSearch will become available to businesses in the next few weeks.
- Open-Sourcing Grok 2: Musk confirmed that xAI will open-source Grok 2 in the coming months, following its policy of releasing the previous version once the latest one is stable.
Shifting Political Alignment?
When first announced, Grok was marketed as an “edgy” and politically unfiltered AI, distinguishing itself from competitors. However, early versions of Grok and Grok 2 exhibited left-leaning tendencies on topics like transgender rights, diversity programs, and inequality, according to an independent study.
Musk attributed this bias to Grok’s training data—primarily public web pages—and promised to make Grok more politically neutral. It remains unclear whether Grok 3 has achieved this goal and what its impact will be.
With Grok 3 now rolling out, xAI is solidifying its place in the AI race. As it continues to challenge industry leaders, its approach to AI transparency, reasoning, and accessibility will be closely watched.
