- Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, has launched Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini in beta.
- Both versions showcase improved reasoning and enhanced capabilities.
- These new models are now accessible to Premium and Premium+ users on the X social network, offering a significant upgrade from their predecessor, Grok-1.5.
According to xAI, both Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini are available for beta testing on X. “We are excited to release an early preview of Grok-2, a significant step forward from our previous model Grok-1.5, featuring frontier capabilities in chat, coding, and reasoning.
At the same time, we are introducing Grok-2 mini, a small but capable sibling of Grok-2. An early version of Grok-2 has been tested on the LMSYS leaderboard under the name ‘sus-column-r,’” xAI shared in a blog post.
One of the standout features of Grok-2 is its ability to generate images directly on X. While this feature is currently in beta, it marks a significant enhancement in the platform’s capabilities. However, early user-generated images indicate that Grok’s image generation feature lacks restrictions, particularly concerning the creation of images involving political figures.
With the U.S. presidential election on the horizon, xAI may face increasing pressure to implement safeguards to prevent misuse of this feature.
The text accompanying the sample image prompts suggests that Grok utilizes FLUX.1 by Black Forest Labs for image creation.
Although details on Grok-2’s full capabilities are scarce, some testers, like app researcher Nima Owji, claim that Grok-2 excels in code generation, writing, and news-related tasks. However, it’s worth noting that Grok’s initial version had several issues with summarizing news accurately.
The absence of restrictions on image generation raises concerns that Grok could be exploited to create and spread misinformation on X and other platforms. It is unclear whether Grok-powered images include metadata to indicate their AI origin, which could be crucial in preventing the spread of false information.
When approached about potential measures to curb harmful image generation, xAI did not provide a response. The company has been known for its limited engagement with media inquiries since Musk’s takeover.
In addition to image generation, xAI plans to integrate Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini into AI-driven features on X, such as improved search functionality, post analytics, and reply systems. This development suggests that AI-powered replies could soon be introduced on the platform. Furthermore, xAI has announced plans to release a preview of multimodal understanding, which will be a core component of Grok’s experience on X and its API.
Musk’s AI venture continues to push the boundaries of technology on X, but as these capabilities expand, so too does the need for responsible management to prevent unintended consequences.
