Thursday, July 10, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Musk launches Grok 4 – takes the lead as world’s strongest AI model

The future of AI

Published today 10:55
– By Editorial Staff
Elon Musk speaks during the press conference alongside developers from xAI.
3 minute read

Elon Musk’s AI company xAI presented its latest AI model Grok 4 on Wednesday, along with a monthly fee of $300 for access to the premium version. The launch comes amid a turbulent period for Musk’s companies, as X CEO Linda Yaccarino has left her position and the Grok system, which lacks politically correct safeguards, has made controversial comments.

xAI took the step into the next generation on Wednesday evening with Grok 4, the company’s most advanced AI model to date. At the same time, a premium service called SuperGrok Heavy was introduced with a monthly fee of $300 – the most expensive AI subscription among major providers in the market.

Grok 4 is positioned as xAI’s direct competitor to established AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. The model can analyze images and answer complex questions, and has been increasingly integrated into Musk’s social network X over recent months, where xAI recently acquired significant ownership stakes.

Musk: “Better than PhD level”

During a livestream on Wednesday evening, Musk made bold claims about the new model’s capabilities.

“With respect to academic questions, Grok 4 is better than PhD level in every subject, no exceptions”, Musk claimed. However, he acknowledged that the model can sometimes lack common sense and has not yet invented new technologies or discovered new physics – “but that is just a matter of time”.

Expectations for Grok 4 are high ahead of the upcoming competition with OpenAI’s anticipated GPT-5, which is expected to launch later this summer.

Launch during turbulent week

The launch comes during a tumultuous period for Musk’s business empire. Earlier on Wednesday, Linda Yaccarino announced that she is leaving her position as CEO of X after approximately two years in the role. No successor has yet been appointed.

Yaccarino’s departure comes just days after Grok’s official, automated X account made controversial comments criticizing Hollywood’s “Jewish executives” and other politically incorrect statements. xAI was forced to temporarily restrict the account’s activity and delete the posts. In response to the incident, xAI appears to have removed a recently added section from Grok’s public system instructions that encouraged the AI not to shy away from “politically incorrect” statements.

Musk wore his customary leather jacket and sat alongside xAI leaders during the Grok 4 launch. Photo: xAI

Two model versions with top performance

xAI launched two variants: Grok 4 and Grok 4 Heavy – the latter described as the company’s “multi-agent version” with improved performance. According to Musk, Grok 4 Heavy creates multiple AI agents that work simultaneously on a problem and then compare their results “like a study group” to find the best answer.

The company claims that Grok 4 demonstrates top performance across several test areas, including “Humanity’s Last Exam” – a demanding test that measures AI’s ability to answer thousands of questions in mathematics, humanities, and natural sciences. According to xAI, Grok 4 achieved a score of 25.4 percent without “tools,” surpassing Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro (21.6 percent) and OpenAI’s o3 high (21 percent).

With access to tools, Grok 4 Heavy allegedly achieved 44.4 percent, compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro’s 26.9 percent.

Future products on the way

SuperGrok Heavy subscribers get early access to Grok 4 Heavy as well as upcoming features. xAI announced that the company plans to launch an AI coding model in August, a multimodal agent in September, and a video generation model in October.

The company is also making Grok 4 available through its API to attract developers to build applications with the model, despite the enterprise initiative being only two months old.

Whether companies are ready to adopt Grok despite the recent mishap remains to be seen, as xAI attempts to establish itself as a credible competitor to ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini in the enterprise market.

The Grok service can now be accessed outside the X platform through Grok.com.

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Nvidia becomes first company to reach four trillion dollars in market value

The future of AI

Published today 19:46
– By Editorial Staff
NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang presents DGX Spark – the world's smallest AI supercomputer.
2 minute read

Graphics card giant Nvidia made history on Wednesday when the company became the first publicly traded company ever to exceed four trillion dollars in market value. The milestone was reached when the stock rose to $164.42 during trading on July 9.

The California-based tech company has experienced a meteoric rise driven by its dominant position in AI chip manufacturing. Over the past five years, the stock has risen by a full 1,460 percent, while this year’s increase stands at nearly 18 percent.

Nvidia’s success is based on the company’s near-monopolistic control over the market for AI processors. The company’s GPU chips form the backbone of machine learning, data centers, and large language models like ChatGPT.

The company’s chips have become indispensable for tech giants Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet, all of which are investing billions in AI infrastructure. This has made Nvidia one of the main winners in the ongoing AI revolution.

Jensen Huang’s wealth explodes

The stock surge has had a dramatic impact on co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang’s personal wealth. According to Bloomberg estimates, his net worth is now $142 billion, an increase of more than $25 billion this year alone.

Huang owns approximately 3.5 percent of Nvidia, making him the company’s largest individual shareholder. The wealth increase places him among the world’s ten richest people, with his fortune closely tied to Nvidia’s stock price.

Heaviest weight in S&P 500

Nvidia now has the highest weighting in the broad US stock index S&P 500, having surpassed both Apple and Microsoft. The breakthrough has led to optimism for continued growth, with some analysts predicting that the market value could rise further.

Loop Capital’s Ananda Baruah sees Nvidia at the “forefront” of the next “golden wave” for generative AI and estimates that the company could reach a market value of over six trillion dollars within a few years.

Nvidia’s historic success reflects the broader AI euphoria that has gripped financial markets, where investors are betting that artificial intelligence will reshape the entire economy over the coming decades.

Spotify fills playlists with fake music – while CEO invests millions in military AI

The future of AI

Published 1 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek accused of diverting artist royalties to military AI development.
3 minute read

Swedish streaming giant Spotify promotes anonymous pseudo-musicians and computer-generated music to avoid paying royalties to real artists, according to a new book by music journalist Liz Pelly.

Meanwhile, criticism grows against Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, who recently invested over €600 million in a company developing AI technology for future warfare.

In the book Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist, Liz Pelly reveals that Spotify has long been running a secret internal program called Perfect Fit Content (PFC). The program creates cheap, generic background music – often called “muzak” – through a network of production companies with ties to Spotify. This music is then placed in Spotify’s popular playlists, often without crediting any real artists.

The program was tested as early as 2010 and is described by Pelly as Spotify’s most profitable strategy since 2017.

“But it also raises worrying questions for all of us who listen to music. It puts forth an image of a future in which – as streaming services push music further into the background, and normalize anonymous, low-cost playlist filler – the relationship between listener and artist might be severed completely”, Pelly writes.

By 2023, the PFC program controlled hundreds of playlists. More than 150 of them – with names like Deep Focus, Cocktail Jazz, and Morning Stretch – consisted entirely of music produced within PFC.

“Only soulless AI music will remain”

A jazz musician told Pelly that Spotify asked him to create an ambient track for a few hundred dollars as a one-time payment. However, he couldn’t retain the rights to the music. When the track later received millions of plays, he realized he had likely been deceived.

Social media criticism has been harsh. One user writes: “In a few years, only soulless AI music will remain. It’s an easy way to avoid paying royalties to anyone.”

“I deleted Spotify and cancelled my subscription”, comments another.

Spotify has previously faced criticism for similar practices. The Guardian reported in February that the company’s Discovery Mode system allows artists to gain more visibility – but only if they agree to receive 30 percent less payment.

Spotify’s CEO invests in AI for warfare

Meanwhile, CEO Daniel Ek has faced severe criticism for investing over €600 million through his investment firm Prima Materia in the German AI company Helsing. The company develops software for drones, fighter aircraft, submarines, and other military systems.

– The world is being tested in more ways than ever before. That has sped up the timeline. There’s an enormous realisation that it’s really now AI, mass and autonomy that is driving the new battlefield, Ek commented in an interview with Financial Times.

With this investment, Ek has also become chairman of Helsing. The company is working on a project called Centaur, where artificial intelligence will be used to control fighter aircraft.

The criticism was swift. Australian producer Bluescreen explained in an interview with music site Resident Advisor why he chose to leave Spotify – a decision several other music creators have also made.

– War is hell. There’s nothing ethical about it, no matter how you spin it. I also left because it became apparent very quickly that Spotify’s CEO, as all billionaires, only got rich off the exploitation of others.

Competitor chooses different path

Spotify has previously been questioned for its proximity to political power. The company donated $150,000 to Donald Trump’s inauguration fund in 2017 and hosted an exclusive brunch the day before the ceremony.

While Spotify is heavily investing in AI-generated music and voice-controlled DJs, competitor SoundCloud has chosen a different path.

– We do not develop AI tools or allow third parties to scrape or use SoundCloud content from our platform for AI training purposes, explains communications director Marni Greenberg.

– In fact, we implemented technical safeguards, including a ‘no AI’ tag on our site to explicitly prohibit unauthorised use.

Tech giants’ executives become US military officers – gain power over future warfare

The future of AI

Published 26 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Data from platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp could soon be linked to the Swedish military's surveillance systems, according to TBOT (the Swedish Armed Forces' Cyber Defense Unit).
3 minute read

Four senior executives from tech giants Meta, Palantir, and OpenAI have recently been sworn into the US Army Reserve with the rank of lieutenant colonel – an officer rank that normally requires over 20 years of active military service.

The group is part of a new initiative called Detachment 201, aimed at transforming the American military by integrating advanced technologies such as drones, robotics, augmented reality (AR), and AI support.

The new recruits are:

Shyam Sankar, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Palantir

Andrew Bosworth, Chief Technology Officer of Meta

Kevin Weil, Chief Product Officer (CPO) of OpenAI

Bob McGrew, former Research Director at OpenAI

According to the technology platform Take Back Our Tech (TBOT), which monitors these developments, these are not symbolic appointments.

“These aren’t random picks. They’re intentional and bring representation and collaboration from the highest level of these companies”, writes founder Hakeem Anwar.

Meta and Palantir on the battlefield

Although the newly appointed officers must formally undergo physical training and weapons instruction, they are expected to participate primarily in digital defense. Their mission is to help the army adapt to a new form of warfare where technology takes center stage.

“The battlefield is truly transforming and so is the government”, notes Anwar.

According to Anwar, the recruitment of Palantir’s CTO could mean the military will start using the company’s Gotham platform as standard. Gotham is a digital interface that collects intelligence and monitors targets through satellite imagery and video feeds.

Meta’s CTO is expected to contribute to integrating data from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, which according to TBOT could be connected to military surveillance systems. These platforms are used by billions of people worldwide and contain vast amounts of movement, communication, and behavioral data.

“The activities, movements, and communications from these apps could be integrated into this surveillance network”, writes Anwar, adding:

“It’s no wonder why countries opposed to the US like China have been banning Meta products”.

Leaked project reveals AI initiative for entire government apparatus

Regarding OpenAI’s role, Anwar suggests that Kevin Weil and Bob McGrew might design an AI interface for the army, where soldiers would have access to AI chatbots to support strategy and field tactics.

As Detachment 201 becomes public, a separate AI initiative within the US government has leaked. The website ai.gov, still under development, reveals a plan to equip the entire federal administration with AI tools – from code assistants to AI chatbots for internal use.

TBOT notes that the initiative relies on AI models from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. The project is led by the General Services Administration, under former Tesla engineer Thomas Shedd, who has also been involved in the cryptocurrency project DOGE.

“The irony? The website itself was leaked during development, demonstrating that AI isn’t foolproof and can’t replace human expertise”, comments Anwar.

According to the tech site’s founder, several federal employees are critical of the initiative, concerned about insufficient safeguards.

“Without proper safeguards, diving head first into AI could create new security vulnerabilities, disrupt operations, and further erode privacy”, he writes.

Strängnäs poised to become Northern Europe’s AI capital

The future of AI

Published 6 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The cathedral in Strängnäs will soon have competition from a giant AI center.
3 minute read

Strängnäs, a municipality in Sweden, is preparing for one of the largest investments in its history. Brookfield Asset Management (BAM) plans to build one of Europe’s largest artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in the city.

The data center, which will be built on an area of approximately 350,000 square meters, will have a capacity of 750 megawatts – more than twice as large as previously planned. The project is expected to create over 1,000 permanent jobs and approximately 2,000 jobs during the construction phase.

The investment amounts to approximately SEK 95 billion (€8.7 billion) and is expected to take 10–15 years.

Strängnäs has all the conditions to become the location of Northern Europe’s first AI center. We can offer an excellent geographical location, we have a high level of education and good cooperation with the municipalities in the Mälardalen region, says Jacob Högfeldt (M), chairman of the municipal council in Strängnäs, to Datacenter-Forum.

Brookfield‘s European CEO, Sikander Rashid, highlights the importance of investing in AI infrastructure on a large scale.

– To be competitive in AI development and realize its economic productivity, it is important to invest at scale in the infrastructure that underpins this technology. This extends beyond data centers and into data transmission, chip storage and energy production.

Strängnäs part of a broader strategy

The investment in Strängnäs is part of Brookfield’s broader strategy to invest around €20 billion in AI infrastructure in Europe, which also includes plans for large data centers in France and other countries.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has expressed his support for the investment on social media, emphasizing Sweden’s long tradition of strong companies.

Translation of above tweet: “Sweden has a long tradition of innovation and strong companies. AI is an incredible force that will enable Sweden to remain at the forefront. That is why the government is now developing a comprehensive AI strategy – and why we appointed the AI Commission. We are now seeing results.

I welcome the announcement today by the Canadian company Brookfield that it plans to invest up to SEK 95 billion in a new AI center in Strängnäs. It will be one of the largest data centers of its kind in Europe. It is also one of the largest investments in AI infrastructure to date in our country. I am particularly pleased that it is in my hometown.

We have a fantastic tech scene, and the latest investments from companies such as Brookfield, Nvidia, and Microsoft are clear proof of that.”

Sweden has competitive advantages that make the country attractive for large data center investments, including a relatively stable energy supply, high digital maturity, and proximity to academic hubs such as KTH and Uppsala University.

In addition, EU data protection regulations require sensitive data to be stored within the Union’s borders, which increases demand for local data centers.

The investment in the AI center could make Strängnäs a central node in Europe’s AI ecosystem and help strengthen Sweden’s role in the global AI race.

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