Hey everyone! I finally got Grok 3, the latest creation from Elon Musk’s xAI. I can’t wait to share my experience with you. Grok 3 is called the most powerful AI ever. It features a fun “Big Brain Mode.” I’ve spent time exploring its features, testing what it can do, and figuring out how it works. Let’s dive to share my in-depth experience and analysis.
What is About Grok 3?
When xAI dropped Grok 3, the hype was real. Musk and three xAI engineers say this model is much better than Grok 2. In simple terms, it’s about 10 times more powerful. That’s a bold claim, and I was eager to see if it lived up to the hype. xAI says they trained it in a massive data center in Memphis, Tennessee, packed with around 200,000 GPUs. Imagine rows of humming machines working around the clock. Some even call it the Colossus supercomputer. Musk claims this beastly setup is what’s fueling Grok 3’s insane potential.
But how does it stack up against the big players like Open AI’s GPT-4o, Google’s Gemini, or DeepSeek’s models? xAI’s internal tests reveal that Grok 3 excels in math, science, coding, and problem-solving. They also have receipts. These results come from tests like AIM, a standard for math contests. They also include GPQA, which features PhD-level questions in physics, biology, and chemistry. The smaller models in the Grok 3 family are doing really well on Chatbot Arena. This is a platform where AIs compete, and real people vote for the best one. I’ll be putting that to the test myself, so stick with me!
A Family of Models, Not Just One
Here’s where it gets interesting: Grok 3 isn’t just a single model—it’s a family. We’ve got:
-
Grok 3 Reasoning: Built for complex thought processes with chain-of-thought prompting.
-
Grok 3 Mini Reasoning: A lighter version of the reasoning model.
-
Standard Grok 3: The all-purpose workhorse.
-
Grok 3 Mini: A compact version for quicker tasks.
I love the reasoning models. They think things through step-by-step before giving answers. xAI says some of Grok’s reasoning is hidden. This stops others from copying its knowledge, a trick some developers use. So, if you’re hoping to peek inside Grok’s brain, you might be out of luck. I’m cool with that, though—it’s all about the results, right?
How I’m Using Grok 3
So, where can I access this thing? Grok 3 is part of X, the social media platform that used to be called Twitter. You can also find it on grok.com and through an iOS app. If you’re on X’s Premium Plus subscription tier ($8/month), you get instant access. There’s also a new Super Grok tier rumored to cost about $30/month or $300/year—though xAI hasn’t locked in those prices yet. I’m using the Premium Plus plan, and it’s been smooth sailing so far.
Once you’re in, the features are pretty slick:
-
Deep Search: An advanced research tool that scans the web and X for detailed summaries. I can even narrow it to specific sources—super handy for digging into niche topics.
-
Big Brain Mode: This helps Grok take a moment and think deeply. It’s great for tough science or coding questions. I’ve been geeking out over this one.
-
Voice Mode: Musk says it’s coming within a week, letting me talk to Grok and hear it respond. I’m already imagining saying, “Hey Grok, what’s up?” and hearing it chat back.
In xAI’s demo, Grok 3 mapped out a Mars mission, a classic Musk move with SpaceX. It also coded a game that mixes Tetris and Bejeweled. I’m a bit of a coding nerd, so I can’t wait to mess around with that. It can also manage advanced math, science, and image generation. This puts it on par with GPT-4o and Gemini. Multimodal AI? Yes, please!
My First Test: Writing Style and Tone
I kicked things off by asking Grok 3 to write a 500-word blog post about its own release. I didn’t tweak the prompt—just let it run with its default settings. Here’s what I got:
“Grok 3 is here—xAI’s latest leap in AI awesomeness! Big news, tech fans: as of February 19, 2025, xAI has officially unleashed Grok 3 into the wild…”
The tone? Quirky, playful, and totally unique. It’s got a sense of humor that’s worlds apart from ChatGPT or Gemini. I love how it pulls from the X database and the web by default—no extra switches needed. The post clocked in at 513 words—shockingly close to my 500-word request. Most AIs I’ve tried overshoot or undershoot by a mile, so I was impressed.
Multimodal Magic: Images and More
Next, I tested its multimodal capabilities. Grok 3 can analyze and generate images, so I uploaded a photo of the Colossus data center and asked, “What is this?” It nailed it:
“The image appears to be an aerial view of the largest data center and supercomputing facility, labeled as Colossus—200k GPU.”
Spot on! Then I asked it to generate an image of “a dog running under moonlight.” The results were solid—nothing mind-blowing, but decent enough. I could even tweak them with text prompts and download them. It’s no Midjourney, but for an AI that’s mostly about text, I’ll take it.
One hiccup? Sometimes I’d hit a message: “We’re seeing heavy traffic, so we’ve switched to an alternative model.” Turns out, when Grok 3 gets busy, it swaps to something like Grok 3 Mini to keep things speedy. I didn’t notice a huge drop in quality, but it’s worth noting if you’re a power user.
Deep Search: Research on Steroids
I’m a research junkie, so Deep Search was next on my list. I fed it an image from a newsletter saying “We got acquired” (about Neuron, an AI company with 500,000 subscribers) and asked for context. Default mode got the gist: “Neuron has been purchased.” Cool, but I wanted more.
With Deep Search on, I added: “Neuron’s been around a few years in the AI space, 500K subscribers—how much might it sell for?” After 52 seconds and scanning 90 sources, Grok estimated $18 million. It compared Neuron to Morning Brew, which has $75M and 2.5M subscribers, and The Hustle, with $27M and 1.5M subscribers. It estimated Neuron’s revenue at $3.5M based on these subscriber benchmarks. I’m skeptical—$18M feels low for that size—but the breakdown was fascinating. Gemini’s deep research takes longer (sometimes 10 minutes), so 52 seconds is a win in my book.
Data Files: A Swing and a Miss
I wanted to see how Grok handles raw data, so I uploaded an Amazon stock price CSV and asked, “What is this?” It guessed Tesla—wrong, despite “Amazon” in the filename. I corrected it and asked for a graph. It offered to generate one, but the result was a text description, not a visual. ChatGPT and Claude crush this kind of task with actual charts, so Grok’s got some catching up to do here.
Reasoning: Big Brain Mode in Action
Time to flex Big Brain Mode. I threw it a classic reasoning puzzle: “You have a 50-ft rope, a 75-ft building, and your 5-ft body. Measure the building’s height with no other tools.” Other AIs I tested, like DeepSeek R1 and Gemini, used similar triangles effectively. However, ChatGPT had some difficulty.
Grok took 118 seconds—the longest I’ve seen—and showed its step-by-step thinking. First attempt? “Put the rope at the base, climb it, use your body for the rest.” Um, gravity says no. I called it out, and it pivoted: “Drop the rope from the top, estimate the 25-ft gap with your body.” Still shaky—eyeballing isn’t precise. Finally, it agreed the similar triangles method (using shadows or angles) works best. It got there, but man, it was a journey. DeepSeek and Gemini were cleaner out of the gate.
Then, a multiple-choice question I’ve stumped other models with. After 87 seconds, Grok picked B—correct! ChatGPT’s GPT-3 Mini got it too, but Gemini and DeepSeek missed. A win for Grok, though I hit a limit: only 6 reasoning questions before a reset. That’s tight—I barely scratched the surface.
Social Media Smarts: Posting on X
Since Grok’s tied to X, I tested it for content creation. I asked for the top 10 posts about Grok 3’s release, then had it analyze them and write an educational post in my style. First try:
“xAI’s powerhouse AI is redefining speed and smarts…”
Too promotional. I tweaked it: “Less hype, more education.” The next batch was spot-on—informative and aligned with my vibe. If you’re posting on X, this is a killer feature—especially with its real-time access to posts.
The Tech Behind the Magic
How did xAI pull this off? That Colossus data center started with 100,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs in July 2024, built in just 122 days. By February 2025, it’s up to 200,000 GPUs—the world’s largest cluster for training AI. I asked Grok, “How much did it cost?” It estimated $5-6B for GPUs, $3-5B for cooling and construction, and up to $30B if it hits 1M GPUs. That’s billions with a B—AI isn’t cheap!
xAI is also said to be getting over $5 billion in servers from Dell Technologies. This is part of a bigger push by companies like SoftBank, Oracle, and OpenAI. They plan to invest $100-500 billion in new AI data centres. It’s an AI arms race, and I’m here for it.
The Competition and Drama
Grok 3’s stepping into a crowded ring. Open AI’s GPT-4o, Google’s Gemini, and DeepSeek’s R1 are tough contenders. Chatbot Arena says Grok 3’s topping the charts, but my tests show it’s not flawless. Musk has a problem with OpenAI. He filed two lawsuits about their “straying principles.” He also made a $974 billion buyout offer for their nonprofit arm, but it was rejected. Meanwhile, xAI’s hunting $10B in funding (valuing it at $75B), and Open AI might raise $4B at a $300B valuation. Money’s flying everywhere!
DeepSeek has open-sourced R1, which is exciting. But Musk mentions that Grok 2 will go open-source when Grok 3 is “mature.” This could take a few months. I respect the strategy: keep the new stuff locked until it’s rock-solid.
Edgy and Unfiltered?
Musk promised Grok would be unfiltered, tackling topics other AIs dodge. Early testers found that Grok 2 still avoided tricky political topics. This was due to biased web data. Musk wants Grok 3 to be politically neutral—a tall order. I haven’t pushed it hard on controversial stuff yet, but I’ll report back when I do.
Who’s It For?
Right now, Grok’s on X (Android via the app, iOS standalone), with an Android app TBD. Updates roll out daily—Musk says I might notice tweaks in 24 hours. In a few weeks, xAI’s Enterprise API will launch. This will let businesses use it for coding, fraud detection, or data analysis. I’m in finance and research, so that’s got my attention.
Worth the Hype?
So, is Grok 3 the “smartest AI on Earth”? It’s fast, quirky, and powerful—great for real-time info, X posting, or a unique tone. Deep Search is solid, Big Brain Mode has potential, and it’s come a long way fast. It’s missing features I love from ChatGPT, like custom instructions and graphing. It also lacks project tools from Claude and the large context windows from Gemini.
If you’re already paying for ChatGPT, I’d add Grok if you’re into its vibe or X integration. Switch entirely? Not yet—it’s got gaps. Still, I’m impressed. xAI built this in record time, and it’s only getting better.
Read Also:
Google Gemini vs Perplexity: Which is Best for Deep Research?