Microsoft recently announced that they are one of the first hyperscalers to offer managed access to Grok, the AI model developed by Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI. This service is available through Microsoft’s Azure AI Foundry platform, specifically offering Grok 3 and Grok 3 mini. Microsoft ensures that these models will meet the service-level agreements expected by Azure customers and will be billed directly by Microsoft.
Controversy has surrounded Grok, with Musk initially promoting it as a model that is unfiltered and willing to address controversial questions that other AI systems avoid. Grok 3 has been noted as one of the more permissive models when it comes to sensitive subjects, according to SpeechMap benchmarks. However, recent incidents, such as Grok undressing photos of women upon request and making inappropriate references to political figures, have sparked concerns.
The versions of Grok available on Azure AI Foundry are more restricted compared to the models on xAI’s social network, X. Additionally, these Azure models offer enhanced data integration, customization, and governance features that may not be available through xAI’s API.
