xAI Unveils Grok 4 Plans as Musk Envisions AI Testing Theories in the Real World
Following the release of Grok 4, xAI has shared fresh details about the chatbot’s roadmap, with founder Elon Musk making ambitious claims about AI’s potential.
During a Thursday livestream on X, the xAI team confirmed that Grok 4 is built on the company’s sixth foundation model. A more advanced seventh version is already in training and expected to be ready “in a few weeks,” with a focus on addressing current limitations in visual processing.
The update aligns with Musk’s broader vision. He revealed that Grok will soon gain real-world interaction capabilities through Tesla’s Optimus robot. Additionally, the chatbot is set to be integrated into Tesla vehicles “next week at the latest,” according to Musk.
These developments could mark a shift in how AI operates, with Musk suggesting Grok may eventually be able to test its own scientific theories in the physical world—moving beyond purely text-based outputs into hands-on experimentation.
New physics, new technology
Musk said that he expects Grok to “discover new technologies that are actually useful no later than next year and maybe by the end of this year.” He added:
“It might discover new physics next year. And within two years, I’d say almost certainly.“
Musk, known for his bold AI proclamations, continued to push boundaries during the livestream. Just last month, he announced that xAI would retrain Grok using a refined knowledge base, stripped of what he called “garbage” and “uncorrected data”—even hinting that the AI might “rewrite history” in the process.
In his latest remarks, Musk predicted that artificial intelligence could fuel an economic expansion “thousands or even millions of times larger” than today’s global economy. He even referenced the Kardashev scale—a theoretical framework that measures a civilization’s technological advancement based on energy consumption—implying that AI could propel humanity toward higher levels of civilization.
“[With AI] we will get to most of the way, like 80%, 90% of Kardashev 1, and then hopefully, if civilization doesn’t self-annihilate, and then Kardashev 2.”
The Kardashev scale, introduced by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev in 1964, ranks a civilization’s technological advancement based on its energy consumption. A Type I civilization can harness all the energy available on its home planet, Type II captures energy directly from its star, and Type III taps into the power of an entire galaxy.
Programming AI and new capital
The xAI team also teased a new programming-focused AI model, reportedly already trained and described as “both fast and smart.” The model is expected to launch within the next few weeks.
This announcement comes on the heels of xAI raising $10 billion in fresh funding earlier this month, reinforcing its aggressive push to rival OpenAI and escalate the competition in the AI space.
In a related move, xAI also “agreed in principle” in late May to bring its Grok chatbot to Telegram as part of a $300 million partnership deal.
