What is Grok AI?

• Blockchain Council
• February 20, 2025

Grok AI first appeared in 2023, but with Elon Musk’s recent announcement of Grok-3, curiosity has surged again. People are asking, “What is Grok AI?” and “Is Grok AI better than ChatGPT?” If you’re wondering how it works, its pricing, or if there’s a free version, you’re in the right place. Let’s break it all down.

What Is Grok AI?

Grok AI is a generative AI chatbot created by xAI, a company founded by Elon Musk in March 2023. It was built to compete with ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and other AI models. The word “Grok” comes from a 1961 science fiction novel and means “to understand deeply.” Grok AI isn’t just another chatbot. It connects directly with X (formerly Twitter), giving it access to real-time information. And with the latest updates, things have gotten even better.

How Grok AI Has Evolved Over Time

Grok-1: The First Version

In November 2023, xAI released Grok-1 as a beta version for X Premium users. It focused mainly on text-based responses, showing strong reasoning abilities but still had room for improvement.

Grok-2: AI Gets Better at Images

By August 2024, xAI introduced Grok-2, an upgraded version with image generation capabilities. This allowed users to create visuals from text prompts, making it more versatile. Flux by Black Forest Labs powered this feature at first, but xAI later replaced it with its own model.

Grok-3: A Major Leap in AI

In February 2025, xAI launched Grok-3, marking a huge improvement over previous versions. This model was trained using ten times more computing power than Grok-2, thanks to xAI’s massive data center, Colossus, which runs on 200,000 GPUs.

Grok-3 isn’t just faster—it’s smarter. It beats GPT-4o and DeepSeek V3 in AI benchmarks, especially in math, science, and problem-solving. It comes with two advanced reasoning modes:

• “Think” Mode – Shows step-by-step reasoning for better transparency.
• “Big Brain” Mode – Handles complex questions with deeper analysis.

Key Features of Grok AI

1. Integration with X (Twitter)

Grok AI works within X, letting users chat with the AI in real time. Since it connects to live updates, its responses are more current and relevant than static AI models.

2. Image Generation with Aurora

Grok AI first used Flux for image generation. But in December 2024, xAI replaced it with Aurora, its in-house AI model. Aurora can create high-quality, photorealistic images from text descriptions. This feature is popular for generating images of public figures and creative visualizations.

3. DeepSearch: A Smarter AI Search Engine

Grok-3 comes with DeepSearch, a next-generation AI-powered search engine. Instead of just listing links, it analyzes data, provides summaries, and explains its reasoning. This makes it useful for research and brainstorming.

4. Standalone Grok AI App for iOS

In 2025, xAI launched a standalone Grok AI app for iOS devices. This app allows users to access Grok AI outside of X, broadening its user base.

Upcoming Releases:

• macOS and Windows versions are in development.
• The app includes DeepSearch and Think Mode, both powered by Grok-3.
• Users can generate images from text prompts and upload files or images for processing.

Recent Developments in Grok AI

1. Grok-3 Officially Launched (February 2025)

xAI released Grok-3 on February 17, 2025, after months of testing. It was trained using ten times more computing resources than previous versions. It is still in its beta mode, available for free for only a limited time. 

2. Grok-3 Beats Other AI Models

Early tests show that Grok-3 outperforms AI models from OpenAI, Google, and DeepSeek. It scored:

• 93.3% on the 2025 AIME math exam
• 84.6% on expert reasoning tests
• 79.4% on AI-powered coding challenges

3. Grok-3 Introduces “Think” and “Big Brain” Modes

These reasoning modes give users more control over AI responses. They help with fact-checking, logical explanations, and problem-solving.

4. Standalone Grok AI App Now Available

xAI launched a separate Grok AI app for iOS. Soon, it will be available for macOS and Windows. This allows users to use Grok AI without X (Twitter).

5. Free Access for a Limited Time

As of February 20, 2025, xAI made Grok 3 free to try. Elon Musk tweeted about it, saying it’s available “until our servers melt.” That’s a bold move to get everyone testing it out. However, if you’re an X Premium+ subscriber or sign up for SuperGrok, you get extra perks like more usage and early access to features like Voice Mode. 

How to Use Grok AI?

If you’re wondering how to use Grok AI, follow these steps:

Step 1: Access Grok AI

You can use Grok AI through:

• X (Twitter) – Available for X Premium users
• Website – Grok AI’s official website https://x.ai/ 
• Standalone App – Currently on iOS, coming soon to other platforms

Step 2: Sign Up

• For a limited time, you can use Grok for free.
• You can also have an X Premium or Premium+ subscription
• SuperGrok costs $30/month, and Premium+ costs $40/month

Step 3: Start Using Grok AI

• For Text-Based Tasks – Ask Grok AI to write articles, answer questions, or summarize content
• For Image Generation – Use Aurora by entering a detailed prompt
• For Research – Try DeepSearch for better search results and explanations

Is Grok AI Free?

Right now, Grok AI is not free. It’s only available through paid X Premium subscriptions. However, Musk has offered temporary free access, but no permanent free-tier has been announced.

Grok AI Pricing Plan:

• SuperGrok Plan – $30/month
• X Premium+ Plan – $40/month (Includes full access to Grok-3)

Is Grok AI Better Than ChatGPT?

Grok AI has some advantages over ChatGPT, especially when it comes to real-time data and reasoning capabilities. However, ChatGPT remains more widely used and has more training data.

Where Grok AI Excels:

• Real-time access to Twitter (X) data
• “Think” and “Big Brain” reasoning modes
• DeepSearch provides structured answers instead of simple search results
• Built-in image generation with Aurora

Where ChatGPT Wins:

• More polished and accurate responses
• More extensive training data
• Has a free version (ChatGPT-3.5)
• Better integration with apps like Notion, Zapier, and Microsoft tools

If you rely on real-time news, Grok AI may be the better choice. But for general tasks, ChatGPT is still more refined.

The Future of Grok AI

xAI has big plans for Grok AI, including:

• Expanding its data center with even more computing power
• Adding voice interaction for a conversational AI experience
• Potential integration with Tesla and Neuralink

If Musk follows through, Grok AI could become a major force in AI technology.

Final Thoughts

Grok AI is a serious competitor to ChatGPT, bringing real-time access, smarter reasoning, and image generation to the table. But it’s only available to paying users.

As AI continues to evolve, Grok AI’s future updates will determine if it can truly overtake ChatGPT. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but Grok-3 is already proving to be a game-changer in the AI world.