xAI has officially launched Grok 4.1, a major update now available for all users at no cost. Released on November 17, 2025, this new model redefines the landscape of conversational artificial intelligence, enhancing both emotional understanding and practical utility.
According to xAI, Grok 4.1 comes equipped with major advancements that have already allowed it to outperform its predecessor in an impressive 65% of blind user preference tests. It now dominates the LMArena Text Leaderboard, where Grok 4.1 (in thinking mode) achieved a score of 1483 Elo, while the non-reasoning mode reaches a score of 1465 Elo, showing a remarkable 31-point advantage over other competing models.
In the realm of emotional intelligence, Grok 4.1 scored a record 1586 on EQ-Bench3 and an astonishing 1722 on Creative Writing v3, signifying a 600-point improvement over previous versions. Furthermore, the update has significantly reduced factual inaccuracies, now displaying one-third of the hallucination rate associated with prior models, making it the most accurate iteration of Grok yet.
Users have been quick to recognize the improvements, reporting much faster response times along with more empathetic and creatively engaging outputs—whether it’s for writing tasks, emotional roleplays, or everyday inquiries. With its enhanced capabilities in emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills, Grok 4.1 presents a strong case for being the leading conversational AI on the market.
Developed using the same expansive reinforcement learning system as its predecessor, Grok 4.1 shifts its emphasis to maintaining personality coherence, detecting nuanced intents, and utilizing autonomous reward modeling. This transformation positions Grok 4.1 as a new benchmark in user preference evaluations.
With Grok 4.1 now accessible globally, every user, including those with free accounts, can easily select this model or allow the Auto mode to deploy it by default. This initiative aligns with xAI’s commitment to making cutting-edge AI technology broadly available without imposing paywalls, fostering a more inclusive digital environment.