Grok 4 is the smartest AI in the world

👋 Good morning/evening (wherever you are). It’s Thursday.

Grok 4 is here.

xAI’s newest model is now live and showing major strength across reasoning benchmarks (see screenshots below).

It tops ARC-AGI-2 with a new SOTA and leads Humanity’s Last Exam with Grok 4 Heavy.

No flashy feature drops yet, but the model itself is significantly stronger.

Also, Grok will begin rolling out in Tesla vehicles as early as next week, marking xAI’s first real-world integration beyond X.

From Elon:

“With respect to academic questions, Grok 4 is better than PhDs in every subject, no exceptions.”

“Grok 4 is the first time, in my experience, that an AI has been able to solve difficult, real-world engineering questions where the answers cannot be found anywhere on the Internet or in books.”

OK let’s keep going ↓

🔥 Creative pulse

Blake Shelton used AI in his new music video.

231,000 people watched it. None of them care.

They just love the song and are happy he’s back.

Watch the video. Posted on LinkedIn.

💡 Here’s what you should know

• Google Flow adds speech to image videos, expands globally

  Veo 3 in Flow now lets users generate speech for videos created from images using Frames to Video. The update is part of a broader rollout bringing Flow and Google AI Ultra to 76 new countries.

• Google backs 17 AI startups in US infrastructure push

  17 companies will get access to AI tools and training to solve healthcare, supply chain, and utility challenges.

• 64% of Americans plan to avoid AI as long as possible

  New Gallup data shows Americans are split on whether AI is a threat or just the next tech wave, but most still plan to avoid using it.

• CZI launches AI model designed to think like a cell
  GREmLN is a new biology-aware AI model that simulates how genes regulate each other to help scientists trace disease back to its root causes.

• Video game actors end strike after AI deal

  SAG-AFTRA secured consent and compensation rules for AI replicas, ending a year-long strike with major studios.

• Luma opens AI lab in Hollywood

  AI video startup Luma is launching a creative R&D space in LA to help studios and filmmakers use its generative tools, aiming to reshape how Hollywood produces content.

• Dubai to open restaurant operated by AI chef

  Set to launch in September, WOOHOO will use an AI model to design menus, service, and ambience, combining human execution with machine-crafted culinary concepts to reduce waste and reimagine flavor.

💰 The numbers

• Amazon is considering a multibillion-dollar additional investment in Anthropic to expand their existing $8B partnership for advancing AI model development and cloud integration.

• Harmonic AI secured $100M in Series B funding led by Kleiner Perkins to develop AI superintelligence focused on solving complex mathematical problems.

• SCALE AI in Canada announced nearly $100M in public-private investments across 23 projects to accelerate AI adoption in industries like manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics.

• Foundation EGI raised $23M in Series A funding to expand its AI-powered engineering intelligence platform for automating tasks in manufacturing and energy sectors.

• Polimorphic closed an $18.6M Series A round led by General Catalyst to create AI tools that streamline government operations and automate public services.

🧠 Thought starters

The agent store wars are heating up…

AWS is launching an AI agent marketplace next week, with Anthropic as a featured partner.

TechCrunch reports it will debut at the AWS Summit in New York on July 15.

The marketplace will let startups sell AI agents directly to AWS customers, while enterprises can browse, install, and deploy agents for specific use cases.

This gives AWS a new layer of control in AI distribution. Not just hosting models, but powering how agents get discovered, monetized, and scaled. Anthropic's early involvement signals a deep integration with Claude-based tools.

As a reminder:

• Google launched an AI Agent Marketplace in April through Vertex and Gemini.

• Microsoft followed in May with its Copilot Agent Store for Office and Teams.

• Salesforce offers agent-like tools in Copilot Studio, but hasn't launched a standalone marketplace.

Unlike the others, Amazon is letting third-party developers list and monetize agents across its entire ecosystem. This could make AWS the most commercially viable platform for agent deployment.

Some are calling this the App Store moment for agents.

It’s not just about building better AI systems, it’s about where companies go to find it. Whoever controls distribution could alter the future of entire industries.

😂 Meme of the day

Thanks for reading,

Eddie

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