Welcome to Get The Gist, where every weekday we share an easy-to-read summary of the latest and greatest developments in AI—news, innovations, and trends—all delivered in under 5 minutes! ⏱

In today’s edition:

• xAI’s Grok 3 is Now Free for a Limited Time

• Microsoft's Magma AI Can Control Software and Robots

• Google Gemini Now Analyzes Documents for Free

• ChatGPT Now Boasts 400 Million Weekly Active Users

• And more AI news….

Top Developments

xAI

xAI’s Grok 3 Now Free for a Limited Time

The Gist: xAI has made its latest AI model, Grok 3, temporarily free for all users, but paying subscribers still get priority access and exclusive features. The free version may face server limits, while paid users enjoy perks like "Big Brain" mode and unlimited image generation.

Key Details:

• Grok 3 introduces "Think" for complex reasoning and "DeepSearch" for AI-powered research summaries.

• Free users must manually select Grok 3 from the chatbot’s menu and may experience usage limits.

• X Premium+ ($40/month) and SuperGrok ($30/month) subscribers get priority access and additional features like Voice Mode.

• Musk claims Grok 3 is significantly more advanced than its predecessor, Grok 2.

Microsoft

Microsoft's Magma AI Can Control Software and Robots

The Gist: Microsoft’s new AI model, Magma, blends visual and language processing to control both digital interfaces and robotic systems. Unlike previous multimodal AIs, Magma integrates perception and control into a single system, moving closer to autonomous AI agents.

Key Details:

• Magma can plan and execute multistep tasks, navigating software interfaces and manipulating real-world objects.

• The model introduces “Set-of-Mark” for identifying interactive elements and “Trace-of-Mark” for learning movement patterns.

• It outperforms some existing AI models in UI navigation and robot control tasks.

• Microsoft plans to release Magma’s code on GitHub, allowing external researchers to build on it.

Google Gemini

Google Gemini Now Analyzes Documents for Free

The Gist: Google has rolled out document analysis and summarization features to all Gemini users, allowing them to upload PDFs, Google Docs, and Word files without a subscription.

Key Details:

• Free users can upload up to 10 documents at a time from local storage or Google Drive.

• Gemini can generate summaries, insights, and feedback, streamlining document review.

• Advanced features like Deep Research, custom Gems, and unlimited uploads remain exclusive to paid subscribers.

• The update is rolling out across Android, iOS, and the web, though some users may experience delays.

Quick Gist

Google's AI video generation model Veo 2 is now publicly available on Freepik, offering advanced video creation capabilities with unmatched realism and smooth animations. Read More

Dave W Plummer showcased his new AI-generated version of the classic arcade game Breakout using xAI's Grok 3, sharing the code on GitHub for others to explore. Read More

OpenAI's ChatGPT has launched Operator, an AI agent in the UK that autonomously performs online tasks like shopping and booking, initially available to ChatGPT Pro subscribers. Read More

ChatGPT now boasts 400 million weekly active users, capturing about 5% of the global population while maintaining its position as a leading AI product despite rising competition. Read More

OpenAI has begun the global rollout of its AI agent Operator for ChatGPT Pro subscribers, allowing users to automate everyday web tasks in select countries. Read More

Apple announced that Visual Intelligence, previously exclusive to the iPhone 16 series, will soon be available for iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models through a future software update. Read More

Microsoft is preparing to host OpenAI's upcoming GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 AI models on its Azure platform, with potential launches slated for late February and May, respectively. Read More

Spotify now accepts audiobooks narrated by ElevenLabs' AI software to enhance accessibility for authors, clearly labeling them as digitally narrated. Read More

THAT’S IT FOR TODAY!