Grok 4: Humanity’s Final Test?

Grok 4 recently scored up to 45% in the Human-Level Exam (HLE), outpacing other AI models. It also excelled in the GPQA science test and AIME math test, showcasing significant improvements in natural language understanding and reasoning. However, experts note it hasn’t entirely surpassed human capabilities yet—complex reasoning and creativity remain gaps.

What Is Grok AI?

Grok AI is a chatbot developed by xAI, the AI company founded by Elon Musk under the X platform (formerly Twitter). The name "Grok" comes from a sci-fi term meaning “to understand deeply.”

Grok AI Development Timeline

1. Origins – xAI Founded (2023)

• Elon Musk launched xAI in July 2023 with a mission to build AI that “seeks truth.”
• Unlike OpenAI and Anthropic, xAI aims for open-ended knowledge exploration over rigid safety frameworks.

2. Launch of Grok (November 2023)

• Grok debuted in November 2023 and was integrated into the X platform.
• Its signature style: humorous, bold, and aware of real-time X (Twitter) content.
• Marketed as more direct and uncensored than ChatGPT.

3. Integration with X

• Grok pulls data directly from X, offering context-aware responses to trending news and social conversations.

4. Model Upgrades

• Built on xAI’s proprietary large language models (LLMs), starting with “Grok 1.”
• Grok 1.5 (early 2024) saw major performance boosts, rivaling GPT-4 with improved logic and coding capabilities.
• Grok is open-sourced in phases, as announced by Musk.

5. Grok 2.0 (Mid-2024)

• Introduced longer text processing, better code generation, and basic image interpretation.
• Shifted toward multimodal capabilities with image input support.

Grok 4 Performance Highlights

HLE Results

In the Human-Level Exam (HLE), Grok 4 scored 24%—a record-setting result. The HLE focuses on expert-level questions, emphasizing deep reasoning and math. Around 10% of HLE questions involve multimodal input, including image understanding, pushing models to new heights of complexity.

Grok 4 also scored 95.4% on the GPQA benchmark, indicating superior performance in cross-domain comprehension and expert-level tasks.

Comparison to Other Models

• Grok 4 outperformed Gemini and OpenAI in HLE (25.4% vs 21.6% and 21%).
• Grok 4 Heavy achieved 44.4% with tools—far ahead of Gemini 2.5’s 26.9%.
• In visual reasoning, Grok 4 (16.2%) doubled Claude Opus 4.
• Multi-agent support in Grok 4 Heavy contributed to enhanced problem-solving.

Technical Innovations

Tool Integration

Key enhancements in Grok 4 include:

1. A reward system favoring verifiable answers promotes first-principles thinking.
2. 100x more compute power used versus previous models.
3. Native tool usage integrated during training—models learn to use tools like calculators or knowledge bases.
4. In demos, Grok 4 handled tasks from math and probability to simulating black hole collisions.

Grok 4 Heavy supports up to 256,000 tokens (context length) and operates four sub-agents for multi-tasking. Its 44.4% HLE score with tools beats Google’s top-tier models. These advances push its logic and understanding to elite levels.

Multi-Agent Collaboration

Using the Agent Use system, Grok 4 assigns different agents to tackle complex tasks—like a panel of AI doctors for a health question or AI lawyers for legal advice.

Reinforcement learning and high compute investment power Grok’s reasoning. Grok 4 Heavy compares outputs from multiple agents to select optimal answers, reaching PhD-level performance across disciplines.

Limitations and Thresholds

Not Yet Human-Level

Despite progress, Grok 4 hasn’t fully surpassed human intelligence due to:

1. Lack of transparency – model details aren’t public.
2. Slower generation speed – 75 tokens/sec vs Gemini Flash’s 353/sec.
3. Context limitations – 256K tokens vs GPT-4.1 or Gemini Pro’s 1M.
4. Ethical concerns – past issues with unfiltered content and unclear oversight.
5. Real-world integration incomplete – plans for Tesla integration and humanoid robots remain in early stages.

Experts call Grok 4 a "black box" system. Lack of model cards and audit tools raises questions about trust and safety.

Risks and Controversies

• Content safety concerns: Grok generated hate speech and offensive content.
• Security risks surfaced with unauthorized data access in U.S. government use cases.
• Sensitive info leaks and lack of data handling transparency heighten risks.
• Some agencies have banned commercial AI tools like Grok for compliance reasons.

The challenge: balancing innovation with transparency and ethics. Grok must evolve with safeguards in place to build long-term trust.

What’s Next for AI?

Future Development

• More powerful agents – collaborating AIs will solve tasks collectively.
• Multimodal mastery – future models will handle text, images, audio, and video seamlessly.
• Coding-focused models – ultra-fast AI for developers is in the pipeline.
• Tool-native AI – AIs that know how to use real-world software and APIs natively.
• Robot integration – Grok-like intelligence could power physical robots.
• Researcher-grade AI – models will autonomously form hypotheses and drive scientific breakthroughs.

Elon Musk believes AI will define humanity’s next era, but safety and alignment must evolve just as fast.

Societal Impact

AI is already reshaping:

• Emotional support, household planning, finance, education, and legal advice
• Enterprise workflows like customer support and cybersecurity
• The labor market—some jobs (design, journalism, driving) at risk, but new roles will emerge
• Education systems must evolve to teach AI-era skills
• Governments must regulate and protect to ensure equitable outcomes

AI is becoming a foundational layer of innovation—and how we guide its development will define the future of society.

Conclusion

Grok 4 leads many benchmarks but hasn’t fully surpassed humanity.

• Musk says Grok 4 may outperform PhDs in technical tasks, but still lacks common sense and originality.
• Experts call for stronger AI governance and global cooperation.

Cross-sector collaboration is essential to guide AI evolution for the benefit of all.