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Elon Musk's xAI Drops Grok 4 and $300 Subscription š¤Æ
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Welcome to another edition of Horizon AI,
After some tumultuous days with the new āpolitically incorrect versionā of Grok 3, xAI has finally launched the much-anticipated Grok 4. Meanwhile, YouTube has updated its monetization rules to tackle the surge in AI-generated content.
Letās get into it!
Read Time: 4.5 min
Here's what's new today in the Horizon AI
Elon Muskās xAI Launches Grok 4 and $300 Subscription Plan
YouTube Updates Monetization Policy to Address Spammy AI Content
AI Tutorial: Upscale your images with AI for free
AI Tools to check out
AI Findings/Resources
The Latest in AI and Tech š”
AI News
XAI
Elon Muskās xAI Launches Grok 4 and $300 Subscription Plan

xAI has introduced its latest flagship AI model, Grok 4, alongside a premium $300-per-month subscription plan called SuperGrok Heavy.
Details:
Grok 4 shows frontier-level performance on several benchmarks, including Humanityās Last Exam and AIME, outperforming competitors like Googleās Gemini and OpenAIās models.
The new model supports a 128k context window and excels particularly in academic benchmarks, with Musk claiming that it is ābetter than PhD level in every subjectāno exceptions.ā
Grok 4 Heavy, a multi-agent version, offers even higher performance by using collaborative problem-solving techniques to tackle particularly difficult tasks.
The SuperGrok Heavy plan offers early access to Grok 4 Heavy and upcoming features like AI coding tools and video generation models, while the standard SuperGrok subscription ($30/month) gives access to Grok 4.
xAI is also releasing Grok 4 through its API with a 256k context window to encourage developers to build applications using the model.
Despite criticism over Grok 3 going off the rails just days ago, itās notable that a relatively new AI lab is competing with top playersāthough as more people test Grok 4, weāll soon see if it truly is āthe smartest AI in the world,ā as the company claims.
YOUTUBE
YouTube Updates Monetization Policy to Address Spammy AI Content

Starting July 15th, YouTube will update its monetization policies to tighten restrictions on āinauthenticā content, as it moves to crack down on spammy material, including mass-produced AI-generated videos.
Details:
YouTube has clarified that creators using AI responsibly can still monetize their work, as long as the content remains original and meets YouTubeās standards.
The update targets channels that rely on stolen clips with AI-generated voiceovers, reused or repurposed videos and other low-effort methods to churn out videos.
YouTube editorial head Rene Ritchie emphasized that the changes are a minor update to existing rules, aimed at better identifying mass-produced or repetitive content, which has already been ineligible for monetization for years.
The updated policy text hasnāt been released yet, and the full impact remains to be seen, but it isnāt the blanket ban on AI content that some feared; instead, it aims to strike a balance between encouraging creative use of AI and reducing spammy, low-quality content.
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AI Findings/Resources
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The latest in AI and Tech
A "hacker" who goes by the name "green" discovered that drivers would be able to choose between various Grok "personalities," including Argumentative, Conspiracy, Kids Story, Therapist, Unhinged, and moreāeven some that are NSFW.
The chipmaker became the first company ever to reach a staggering $4 trillion market cap. Although its value has since dipped slightly, it remains the world's most valuable company, ahead of Microsoft and Apple, the only two other companies to have passed the $3 trillion mark.
OpenAI has officially announced the acquisition of Jony Iveās AI startup, io Products, while Ive and his design firm, LoveFrom, remain independent.
Security researchers Ian Carroll and Sam Curry accessed the backend of McDonaldās hiring system by entering the username and password ā123456,ā gaining access to data from more than 64 million applicants who had interacted with McDonaldās AI hiring bot, Olivia.
The chatbot was built by HR tech firm Paradox AI, which addressed the issue and claims to have fixed it.
Yaccarino announced on Wednesday that she would resign after two years leading the social media company. Her exit comes months after Musk sold X to xAI, a move that raised questions about her role in the company going forward.
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