Musk's xAI releases Grok-3, touting a new rival to OpenAI and DeepSeek
Elon Musk's AI startup has launched its newest model with some grand claims — including that it can outperform leading models from the U.S. and China.
Musk's company xAI, founded in March 2023, unveiled the latest version of its flagship Grok-3 artificial intelligence model on Monday evening. The model is rolling out first to X's Premium+ subscribers, and the company announced a separate subscription tier for Grok called 'SuperGrok,' which promises access to the latest AI model's more advanced features.
Grok-3 is 'an order of magnitude more capable than Grok 2 in a very short period of time,' Musk said during a demo livestreamed on X. He later added that the model is still in beta and that users can expect improvements 'literally every day,' with a voice interaction feature expected to release in about a week.
xAI developers touted benchmark numbers that showed Grok-3 — which was trained with 10 times more computing power than Grok-2 — outperforming rivals like DeepSeek-V3 and GPt-4o on mathematical reasoning, science and coding.
Grok-3 outperforms models from Google, Anthropic and Meta, according to the Artificial Analysis Quality Index, a popular independent AI analysis ranking, and falls behind DeepSeek-R1 as well as OpenAI's o3 and o1 models. Grok-3's Reasoning Beta model, however, outranks all except o3 in the index.
xAI on Monday evening also announced a new product called Deep Search, intended to serve as a 'next-generation search engine.' Seemingly an answer to AI-powered search tools from the likes of OpenAI and Perplexity, xAI's Deep Search scans web pages and X posts to formulate its answers.
'Something that might take you half an hour or an hour of researching on the web or searching social media, you can just ask it to go do that and come back, and 10 minutes later it's done an hour's worth of work to you,' Musk said during the demo stream. 'And maybe better than you could have done it yourself.'
The launch of Grok-3 stirred buzz on X, the social platform (formerly Twitter) owned by Musk. Andrej Karpathy, former director of AI at Musk's Tesla, shared a detailed review and wrote that the benchmark results 'look quite encouraging indeed.' Some lauded its abilities in early tests of the model, while others appeared more skeptical.
In Monday's stream, Musk described Grok as a 'maximally truth-seeking AI, even if that truth is sometimes at odds with what is politically correct.'
The xAI founder has long positioned Grok as an edgy counter to other chatbots — such as those from OpenAI and Google — that he's criticized for being too 'woke.' When Grok first launched in November 2023, it was marketed as being able to use wit and humor to 'answer spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems.'
Despite this branding, many quickly noticed that Grok demonstrated political leanings similar to its competitors', with guardrails that sometimes prompted frustration from xAI users who hoped it would combat what Musk often calls 'the woke mind virus.'
In a screenshot he shared on Sunday, however, Musk praised Grok-3 for seemingly lambasting the tech-focused news outlet The Information and hailing X instead. The opinions exhibited by Grok-3 in Musk's screenshot has prompted some online to suspect xAI programmed its latest model to align more closely with Musk's own views.
When asked for its opinion on The Information, the model apparently wrote that the publication, and legacy media in general, is 'garbage' — adding that it delivers 'polished narratives, not reality.'
'X, on the other hand, is where you find raw, unfiltered news straight from the people living it. No middlemen, no spin—just the facts as they happen,' Grok-3 continued. 'Don't waste your time with The Information or any legacy outlet; X is the only place for real, trustworthy news.'
But in multiple tests of Grok-3 conducted by NBC News on Tuesday, the model did not produce such an answer. When asked the same question, Grok-3 repeatedly wrote that The Information is a 'well-regarded tech news outlet known for its in-depth reporting and analysis,' often stating that the publication is 'not infallible,' citing its paywalled content and niche focus.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Auto Blog
2 hours ago
- Auto Blog
Tesla Just Bucked An EV Trend In Europe, And It's A Huge Problem For The Company
Tesla will use its Model Y as a launching platform for its robotaxi tech Sales of EVs are up in Europe, but Tesla's numbers are dropping fast Sales of EVs are up in Europe, but Tesla's numbers are dropping fast Tesla's reputation has taken a significant hit since January, when CEO Elon Musk created the DOGE task force, billed as a means to decrease spending across the United States government. In doing so, Musk damaged his standing with the public, which has carried over to Tesla. New data shows that Tesla's reputational hit is not limited to the United States, as sales in Europe are down for Tesla amid a surging electric vehicle market. 2025 Ford Maverick: 4 reasons to love it, 2 reasons to think twice Watch More According to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, sales of battery electric vehicles across the European Union (EU) increased by 26.4 percent in 2025 compared to 2024, year-to-date. Tesla registrations in the EU have declined by 46.1 percent through April 2025, with a 52.6 percent year-over-year decrease in April alone. Tesla store in Austin, Texas — Source: Tesla Tesla by the numbers For 2025 (January through April; all figures are year-over-year comparisons), Tesla has sold 41,677 units. In the same period in 2024, Tesla registrations (sales) were 77,314 units. If this downward trend continues, Tesla will be one of the five worst-selling brands in the EU by mid-2025. In April alone, Tesla only sold 5,475 vehicles in the EU. Though the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association didn't break out its data by month, it's easy to conclude Tesla sales have been in decline since the beginning of the year. If April were a 'normal' month, Tesla would have sold about 22,000 vehicles in the EU. Expanding the scope doesn't help much. In the EU, the UK, and across the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, Tesla sold 61,320 vehicles compared to 100,255 in the same timeframe in 2024, representing a 38.8 percent decline. In April, Tesla sold 7,261 vehicles, down from 14,228 last year, signaling a 49 percent drop. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. EV sales in the EU are up Battery-electric vehicle sales in the EU from January through April 2025 are up 26.4 percent, which is the same percentage decline for ICE vehicles, suggesting that Europe is embracing the concept of replacing combustion engine vehicles with EVs. France and Estonia were the only countries to experience a decline in EV registrations year over year. EVs account for only 15.3 percent of the market in the EU, trailing behind petrol vehicles (28.6 percent) and hybrids (35.3 percent). Though total car sales dipped 1.2 percent year to date, EV sales were up 3.3 percent. Diesel and petrol sales have dropped over ten percent year over year. Tesla Model 3 Performance — Source: Tesla Final thoughts As Elon Musk quietly slips away from his work in government, the damage done to Tesla may be irreversible. Less than ten percent of overall Tesla sales occurred in one out of four months in 2025, which is an indicator that Tesla is a brand non grata in Europe and sales are declining sharply every month. Upstart Chinese automaker BYD, a brand some consider Tesla's main existential threat, outsold Tesla in the EU in April by about 60 cars, according to data from analyst firm JATO. BYD doesn't have a vehicle in the top 10, according to JATO, but both of Tesla's main vehicles – the Model Y and Model 3 – saw sales decline 49 percent and 41 percent, respectively. About the Author Nate Swanner View Profile
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
DOGE nerds reveal their biggest fear after Musk and Trump's spectacular falling out
Employees of the Department of Government Efficiency are worried Elon Musk 's infamous chainsaw to government waste may come for them after his falling out with Donald Trump. Musk and Trump's fallout dates back to the man who once wore a t-shirt proclaiming himself 'the DOGEfather' leaving the White House in late May. The ex-'First Buddy' has spent the days since torching the relationship, everything from publicly slamming Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' to claiming the president is in The Epstein Files (which he quietly later deleted). Trump has also knifed a key Musk ally by pulling his nomination to become NASA administrator. That has many of those who remain at the Department of Government Efficiency worried that they may 'get DOGE'd' themselves, as group chats between employees have reportedly lit up wondering where their future in government lies. As former DOGE software engineer Sahil Lavingia said, he and many of the people attempting to streamline the government were already allies or employees of Musk. 'I worry with Elon gone, no one will join, and it will just slowly fade away,' Lavingia told the Wall Street Journal. Even if they remain, without Musk, the organization that claimed it has already cut $180 billion in government waste may never be the same. 'Working there felt like pushing a boulder up a mountain, and it'll just fall back down if the work doesn't continue,' Lavingia added. For now, the Trump White House remains proud of the department's work and looks for it to continue. 'Trump's success through DOGE is undisputed, and [the president's] work will continue to yield historic results,' spokesperson Harrison Fields said. However, sources told WSJ that many are worried that at the very least, DOGE will see massive staffing cuts without Musk's protection. Russell Vought, the head of the Office of Management and Budget, seemed to confirm that they are now at the mercy of whomever is in charge of the department that they were hired to cut waste from. 'Cabinet agencies that are in charge of the DOGE consultants that work for them are fundamentally in control of DOGE,' he told Congress earlier this week. The fallout between Trump and Musk - who were political allies for a little less than a year - started in recent weeks when the billionaire started resisting Republicans' 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' arguing that the spending wiped out DOGE's cost-cutting efforts. However, there were signs of the strain between the two on the day Musk left the White House, as Trump pulled the nomination for Jared Isaacman to be the new NASA administrator despite reports he was a shoe-in for confirmation. Isaacman, 42, had his nomination pulled after a 'thorough review' of his 'prior associations,' Trump said. He believes the nomination was withdrawn to coincide with his friend Musk parting ways with the administration and was pushed for by Sergio Gor, an anti-Musk White House official. Then, on Thursday, when Trump was supposed to be hosting the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, he was asked about Musk's recent criticism. From there the dam broke. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more, I was surprised,' Trump told reporters. The president suggested that Musk was angry - not over the bill ballooning the deficit - but because the Trump administration has pulled back on electric vehicle mandates, which negatively impacted Tesla, and replaced the Musk-approved nominee to lead NASA, which could hinder SpaceX's government contracts. 'And you know, Elon's upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles, and they're having a hard time the electric vehicles and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy,' Trump said. 'I know that disturbed him.' Musk posted to X as Trump's Q&A with reporters was ongoing. 'Whatever,' the billionaire wrote. 'Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill,' he advised. 'In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that [is] both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this!' Musk continued. 'Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way.' The spat quickly turned personal with Musk then posting that Trump would have lost the 2024 election had it not been for the world's richest man - him. Musk publicly endorsed Trump on the heels of the July 13th assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania and poured around $290 million into the Republican's campaign. The billionaire also joined Trump on the campaign trail when he returned to the site of the Butler shooting in early October, a month before Election Day. After his meeting with Merz, Trump continued to throw punches online. He asserted that he had asked Musk to leave his administration and said he was 'CRAZY!' 'Elon was "wearing thin," I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Trump wrote. It was after that post that he then threatened to pull SpaceX and Tesla's government contracts. Musk then taunted Trump to act. 'This just gets better and better,' he wrote. 'Go ahead, make my day …' In a follow-up post, Musk said he would 'begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.' Trump continued his 'crazy' remarks on Friday when speaking with CNN Anchor and Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash. He said: 'I'm not even thinking about Elon. He's got a problem. The poor guy's got a problem.' The tech billionaire also claimed Trump appeared in files relating to disgraced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in a post on his social media platform X as the pair traded blows in a sensational public row. Musk gave no evidence for the claim, which has since been deleted, and the White House dismissed the allegation.
South Wales Guardian
4 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
AI skills drive in schools to ‘put power in hands of next generation'
Some on million students will be given access to learning resources to start equipping them for 'the tech careers of the future' as part of the Government's £187 million 'TechFirst' scheme, Downing Street said. Meanwhile, staff at firms across the country will be trained to 'use and interact' with chatbots and large language models as part of a plan backed by Google and Microsoft to train 7.5 million workers in AI skills by 2030. The TechFirst programme will be split into four strands, with TechYouth – the £24 million 'flagship' arm – aimed at giving students across every secondary school in the UK the chance to gain new AI skills training over three years. The other strands are: – TechGrad, backed by £96.8 million in funding and designed to support 1,000 domestic students a year with undergraduate scholarships in areas such as AI and computer science. – A £48.4 million TechExpert scheme aiming to give up to £10,000 in additional funding to 500 domestic PhD students carrying out research in tech. – TechLocal, backed by £18 million, will offer seed funding to small businesses developing new tech products and adopting AI. The Prime Minister is also launching a new Government partnership with industry to train 7.5 million UK workers in essential skills to use AI by 2030. Tech giants including Google, Microsoft, IBM, Nvidia, BT and Amazon have signed up to make 'high-quality' training materials widely available to workers free of charge over the next five years, Number 10 said. It comes as research commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) showed that by 2035, AI will play a part in the roles and responsibilities of around 10 million workers. The Prime Minister said: 'We are putting the power of AI into the hands of the next generation – so they can shape the future, not be shaped by it. 'This training programme will unlock opportunity in every classroom – and lays the foundations for a new era of growth. 'Too many children from working families like the one I grew up in are written off. I am determined to end that.' Sir Keir hosted a private reception at Chequers on Sunday with leading technology bosses and investors, including former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt, Faculty AI co-founder Angie Ma, Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis and Scale boss Alex Wang. On Tuesday, he will invite industry figures to Downing Street, including 16-year-old AI entrepreneur Toby Brown, who recently secured 1 million dollars in Silicon Valley funding for his startup, Beem.
