01What is Grok 4.5 and How It Works
Grok 4.5 is the newest AI model from xAI, made by Elon Musk's company. It can code, create games, images, and videos. You can try it for free if you are subscribed to X (formerly Twitter).
It works like other AI models but with extra focus on real-world tasks like engineering and coding. It is trained on data sets that cover knowledge, coding, science, engineering, and math. This makes it strong for building things like games or apps.
In this episode, Julian Goldie shows that Grok 4.5 is his favorite version of Grok so far. He says it feels instantly different when you use it side by side with older models. The model can turn one prompt into a playable game or a short video quickly.
02Main Features and What's New in Grok 4.5
Grok 4.5 brings several new features that make it stand out. First, it can generate full games from a single prompt. Julian tested eight different games and most of them worked well.
Some had good graphics and physics, like the open-world RPG and the racing game.
Second, it can create images, videos, and voice notes inside the Hermes studio. Julian asked for a cat image, and it took about five seconds to generate. It also made a video of a cat eating cheese.
- Real-time news access from Twitter, great for research and content.
- Token efficiency: uses 4.2x fewer tokens than Opus 4.8 Max.
- Free for X subscribers, so no extra cost if you already pay for X.
- Works with CLI and API, so you can use it in your own workflow.
Julian also notes that the official demo underplays its power. The model is more impressive than the marketing suggests.
03How to Set Up and Get Started with Grok 4.5
Getting started with Grok 4.5 is easy. You have three main ways to access it: the API, the CLI, or plugging it into Hermes. Here is how Julian does it inside his AgentOS system.
- Subscribe to X to get free access to Grok 4.5.
- If you want to use it in Hermes, go to your terminal.
- Type Hermes model to change your model.
- Scroll down to XAI Grok OAuth and select it.
- Create an OAuth login to connect Grok 4.5 to Hermes.
- Or, use the Grok CLI directly from the command line.
Julian already had Grok 4.5 plugged into Hermes, so he didn't need to pay extra. He says the setup is simple once you know the steps.
04How to Use Grok 4.5: Examples from the Episode
Julian shows several ways to use Grok 4.5. One way is to generate games. He typed a prompt and got an open-world RPG with enemies and a big world.
He also made a voxel craft game similar to Minecraft, built in one or two clicks.
Another use is inside the Hermes studio. You can ask for an image, a video, or a voice note. Julian generated a cat image in five seconds and a video of a cat eating cheese.
He also built a video agent that uses Grok 4.5 to do research, create b-roll, and add an AI avatar. The agent wrote a voiceover and put everything together into a full video.
For news, he set up Hermes Oracle. It pulls the latest trending topics in your industry every 24 hours, scores them, and then drafts blog posts for WordPress and social media content. He showed a score of 92 for one topic and 65 for another.
05Results and Comparisons: Grok 4.5 vs Opus 4.8
In this episode, Julian compares Grok 4.5 to Opus 4.8 and Fable 5. He tested eight builds total. Seven of them were good, and one was terrible.
Against Opus 4.8, Grok 4.5 wins some tests and loses others. For example, in one generation, Opus 4.8 didn't work at all, but Grok 4.5 did. In a racing game, Opus 4.8 looked better but felt laggy, while Grok was smoother but had buggy controls.
- Grok 4.5 wins on smoothness and ease of use.
- Opus 4.8 wins on UI detail and graphics in some games.
- Fable 5 had clearer quality, graphics, and controls.
- Grok 4.5 is faster and uses fewer tokens, 4.2x fewer than Opus 4.8 Max.
Julian agrees with Elon Musk that Grok 4.5 is Opus-level. It outperforms Opus 4.8 in many areas, but you should test it yourself to see.
06Tips, Limits, and Mistakes to Avoid with Grok 4.5
Julian shares several tips for using Grok 4.5 effectively. First, don't rely on benchmarks. He says you should test it yourself because results vary by task.
One limit is that some games have control issues. For example, the controls can be opposite, so walking forward actually moves you backward. Also, some builds are buggy, especially the racing game controls.
Inside Hermes, Grok 4.5 can be slow when using tools. Julian found it took a while to respond, which might be because of the tool calls. He didn't hit any rate limits even after heavy testing, which surprised him, but he cautions that could change.
To get the most out of Grok 4.5, avoid just using it for simple prompts. Instead, build custom workflows in AgentOS, like the video agent or Hermes Oracle. That way you combine its power with other tools.
07Who Grok 4.5 Is For and Why It Matters
Grok 4.5 is for anyone who wants to create content, games, or automate tasks. If you are a content creator, you can use the video agent to make videos fast. If you are a gamer or developer, you can build simple games with one prompt.
It is also great for people who need real-time news. Grok 4.5 has access to Twitter news, which is useful for social media content or research. Julian says no other model has that advantage.
The model matters because it makes AI creation more accessible. You don't need to pay extra if you have X. And with tools like Hermes, you can build powerful workflows that save time and improve your output.
Julian summarizes that the best way to use Grok 4.5 is inside your own agent system, combining it with custom workflows. That is how you get the most value.
