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https://nordictimes.com/tech/what-we-know-about-the-newly-launched-grok-3/

Tech

What we know about the newly launched Grok 3

The future of AI

Published 20 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Elon Musk’s AI company xAI has launched the third-generation language model Grok 3, which the company says outperforms competitors such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. During a live presentation, Musk claimed that the new model is “maximally truth-seeking” and ten times more capable than its predecessor.

Grok 3, trained using 100,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs at xAI’s Colossus Supercluster in Memphis, USA, is described as a milestone in artificial intelligence. According to xAI, the model has a unique ability to combine logical reasoning with extensive data processing, which was demonstrated by creating a game that mixes Tetris and Bejeweled and planning a complex space journey from Earth to Mars during the presentation. Musk emphasized that Grok 3 is designed to “favor truth over political correctness” – a direct criticism of competitors he considers too censored.

Technical capacity and competitiveness

According to data from xAI, Grok 3 has outperformed GPT-4o and Google’s Gemini in academic tests, including doctoral-level physics and biology. The model comes in two versions: the full-scale Grok 3 and the lighter Grok 3 mini, which prioritizes speed over accuracy. It also introduces the DeepSearch feature, an AI-powered search engine that compiles information from across the internet into coherent answers.

Early tests by experts such as Andrej Karpathy, former head of AI at Tesla, confirm that Grok 3 is at the forefront of logical thinking, but he also notes that the differences against competitors such as OpenAI’s o1-pro are marginal. Still, the development time is impressive: xAI built its supercomputer in eight months, compared to the industry standard of four years, according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

Availability and reviews

Grok 3 is first released to paying users of X (formerly Twitter) through the Premium+ subscription. A more expensive tier, SuperGrok, provides access to advanced features like unlimited image generation. However, Musk warned during the launch that the first version is a “beta” and may contain bugs – a call for patience.

Criticism of the launch has been harsh. Researchers and tech experts question xAI’s benchmark results, which they say are difficult to verify independently. Others point to risks of training AI on data from X, where misinformation and spam posts are common.

Some experts, such as AI researcher Findecanor, also criticize the name “Grok” – a term from science fiction describing deep understanding – saying it is misleading for a model that they say lacks genuine insight. In addition, Musk’s previous controversial statements about the potential dangers of AI have created skepticism about his own platform.

Vision for the future

Despite the criticism, xAI is betting big. The company plans to release Grok 2 as open source once Grok 3 is stabilized, which would allow community contributions to the technology. A voice feature and integrations for businesses via API are also in the works.

Meanwhile, a power struggle is underway in the AI industry. Musk recently tried to buy OpenAI for $97 billion, an offer rejected by CEO Sam Altman, who described it as an attempt to “destabilize” the competitor. With Grok 3, xAI is positioning itself as a key player in the global AI race – but the question is whether its promises can be fulfilled without increasing polarization around the ethics and trustworthiness of the technology.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/tech/researchers-soon-impossible-to-detect-ai-deepfakes/

Tech

Researchers: Soon impossible to detect AI deepfakes

The future of AI

Published 2 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Already today, it can be difficult to distinguish manipulated images and videos from the real thing - and soon it may become virtually impossible.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The most advanced AI-generated deepfake movies can now fake people’s heartbeats so convincingly that even specially developed detectors are fooled, according to a new study from Humboldt-Universität in Berlin.

The researchers’ findings raise concerns that technological developments may soon make manipulated material indistinguishable from authentic images and movies.

In the past, detectors have used a special method (remote photoplethysmography, or rPPG) that analyzes tiny color changes in the skin to detect a pulse – as a relatively reliable indicator of whether a film clip is genuine or not.

But in the new study, the researchers created 32 deepfake movies that not only looked real to human eyes, but also imitated pulse beats. When these videos were tested against an rPPG-based detector, they were incorrectly classified as genuine.

“Here we show for the first time that recent high-quality deepfake videos can feature a realistic heartbeat and minute changes in the color of the face, which makes them much harder to detect”, said Professor Peter Eisert, the study’s lead author, in a statement.

Increases risk of fraud

According to the study, pulse signals from original videos can be “inherited” by deepfakes in that AI models replicate slight variations in skin tone and blood flow and heat maps in the study showed near-identical light changes in both genuine and manipulated videos.

“Small variations in skin tone of the real person get transferred to the deepfake together with facial motion, so that the original pulse is replicated in the fake video”, Eisert further explains,

These advances increase the risks of deepfake’s use in financial fraud, disinformation and non-consensual pornography, among others. In 2023, an independent researcher estimated that over 244,000 manipulated videos were uploaded to the 35 largest deepfake pornography sites in a single week.

Technical arms race

Despite the study’s worrying results, there is some hope of reversing the trend. The researchers note that today’s deepfakes still fail to replicate natural variations in blood flow over time. In addition, tech giants such as Adobe and Google are developing watermarks to mark AI-generated material.

Meanwhile, the US Congress recently passed the Take It Down Act, which criminalizes the dissemination of non-consensual sexual images – including AI-generated ones. But experts warn that the technological arms race between creators and detectors requires constant adaptation.

“This continuous evolution of deepfake technologies poses challenges for content authentication and necessitates the development of robust detection mechanisms”, the study points out, noting that as AI development accelerates, the fight against digital fraud is also becoming more urgent.

Others have raised a very different concern – that the widespread proliferation of AI-engineered material could be used as a pretext for tougher censorship and laws that restrict people’s freedom online in various ways.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/tech/google-develops-ai-to-communicate-with-dolphins/

Tech

Google develops AI to communicate with dolphins

The future of AI

Published 26 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Google has developed a new AI model to communicate with dolphins. The AI model, named DolphinGemma, is designed to interpret and recreate dolphins’ complex sound signals.

Dolphins are known as some of the world’s most communicative animals, and their social interactions are so advanced that researchers at the Wild Dolphin Project (WDP) have spent over 40 years studying them.

In particular, a dolphin population in the Bahamas has been documented for decades through audio recordings and video footage, where researchers have been able to link specific sounds to behaviors such as mating rituals, conflicts, and even individual names.

The ability to communicate with dolphins has long fascinated researchers, but until now the technology to analyze and mimic their sounds has been lacking. However, breakthroughs in AI language models have raised new hopes, and a collaboration between Google, Georgia Institute of Technology and WDP has produced DolphinGemma.

The goal: Common vocabulary between humans and animals

The model is based on the same technology as Google’s Gemini system and works basically like a language model – similar to ChatGPT – but trained for dolphin sounds. It receives whistles, clicks and pulses, analyzes them and predicts what is likely to come next. In practice, it connects to a CHAT system installed on modified Google Pixel phones.

The aim of the project is not to translate the dolphins’ language in its entirety, but rather to establish a basic common vocabulary between humans and animals. In the coming months, the model will be tested in the field, where researchers will try to teach the dolphins synthetic whistles linked to their favorite objects, such as seagrass and seaweed. Specifically, the ambition is for the dolphins themselves to be able to “ask for” what they want to play with, reports Popular Science.

 

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/tech/nato-implements-ai-system-for-military-operations/

Tech

NATO implements AI system for military operations

The future of AI

Published 17 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Modern warfare increasingly resembles what only a few years ago was science fiction.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The military pact NATO has entered into an agreement with the American tech company Palantir to introduce the AI-powered system Maven Smart System (MSS) in its military operations.

The Nordic Times has previously highlighted Palantir’s founder Peter Thiel and his influence over the circle around Trump, and how the company’s AI technology has been used to develop drones that can identify Russians and automate killing.

NATO announced on April 14 that it has signed a contract with Palantir Technologies to implement the Maven Smart System (MSS NATO), within the framework of Allied Command Operations, reports DefenceScoop.

MSS NATO uses generative AI and machine learning to quickly process information, and the system is designed to provide a sharper situational awareness by analyzing large amounts of data in real time.

This ranges from satellite imagery to intelligence reports, which are then used to identify targets and plan operations.

Terminator
In the “Terminator” movies, the remnants of the Earth’s population fight against the AI-controlled Skynet weapon system.

Modernizing warfare

According to the NATO Communications Agency NCIA, the aim is to modernize warfare capabilities. What used to require hundreds of intelligence analysts can now, with the help of MSS, be handled by a small group of 20-50 soldiers, according to the NCIA.

Palantir has previously supplied similar technology to the US Army, Air Force and Space Force. In September 2024, the company also signed a $100 million contract with the US military to expand the use of AI in targeting.

The system is expected to be operational as early as mid-May 2025.

The new deal has also caused financial markets to react and Palantir’s stock has risen. The company has also generally seen strong growth in recent years, with revenues increasing by 50% between 2022 and 2024.

Criticism and concerns

Palantir has previously been criticized for its cooperation with the Israeli Defense Forces, which led a major Nordic investor to cancel its involvement in the company. Criticisms include the risk of AI technology being used in ways that could violate human rights, especially in conflict zones.

On social media, the news has provoked mixed reactions. Mario Nawfal, a well-known voice on platform X, wrote in a post that “NATO goes full Skynet”, …referring to the fictional AI system in the Terminator movies, where technology takes control of the world.

Several critics express concerns about the implications of technology, while others see it as a necessary step to counter modern threats.

NATO and Palantir emphasize that technology does not replace human decision-making. They emphasize that the system is designed to support military leaders and not to act independently.

Nevertheless, there is a growing debate and concern about how AI’s role in warfare could affect future conflicts and global security. Some analysts also see the use of US technologies such as MSS as a way for NATO to strengthen ties across the Atlantic.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/tech/openai-may-develop-ai-weapons-for-the-pentagon/

Tech

OpenAI may develop AI weapons for the Pentagon

The future of AI

Published 14 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Sam Altman's OpenAI is already working with defense technology company Anduril Industries.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, does not rule out that his and his company will help the Pentagon develop new AI-based weapon systems in the future.

– I will never say never, because the world could get really weird, the tech billionaire cryptically states.

The statement came during Thursday’s Vanderbilt Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threat, and Altman added that he does not believe he will be working on developing weapons systems for the US military “in the foreseeable future” – unless it is deemed the best of several bad options.

– I don’t think most of the world wants AI making weapons decisions, he continued.

The fact that companies developing consumer technology are also developing military weapons has long been highly controversial – and in 2018, for example, led to widespread protests within Google’s own workforce, with many also choosing to leave voluntarily or being forced out by company management.

Believes in “exceptionally smart” systems before year-end

However, the AI industry in particular has shown a much greater willingness to enter into such agreements, and OpenAI has revised its policy on work related to “national security” in the past year. Among other things, it has publicly announced a partnership with defense technology company Anduril Industries Inc to develop anti-drone technology.

Altman also stressed the need for the US government to increase its expertise in AI.

– I don’t think AI adoption in the government has been as robust as possible, he said, adding that there will be “exceptionally smart” AI systems in operation ready before the end of the year.

Altman and Nakasone – a retired four-star general – attended the event ahead of the launch of OpenAI’s upcoming AI model, which is scheduled to be released next week. The audience included hundreds of representatives from intelligence agencies, the military and academia.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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