While Meta’s AI chatbot hasn’t exactly been well received, and most other AI bots not named “ChatGPT” are seeing mixed responses, social platforms themselves seem convinced that generative AI is going to play a key role in future in-stream engagement, whether users know it yet or not.
Along the same line, X is also looking to push its Grok chatbot in more ways, as it seeks to expand on its own AI capacity.
After already making Grok more widely available to all paying users in the app, and plugging it into its “Trending Topics” listings, it’s now also experimenting with a range of further Grok integrations, that would make the tool more readily available, at any time, in-stream.
As shown in these examples, discovered in the back-end code of the X app by researcher Nima Owji, X is looking to ensure that Grok is only a tap away in all aspects.
First off, X is looking to add a new Grok analysis option on profiles, so that you can glean more information about any account in-stream.
Grok’s profile analysis provides a summary overview of how long a profile has been active, how many followers it has, and what it regularly posts about, among other notes.
So it’s not in-depth performance analysis or insight, but more of a quick summary, designed to help you decide on whether to give it a follow or not. Though the additional context could also help you uncover bot and/or ragebait accounts.
For example, if you get an aggressive response to your post, and you check and see that the account has only been active for a few weeks, it may not be worth your time in response. It could also reveal political leanings, and other potential biases that may help to explain their response via added context.
That could help to reduce angst within your X exchanges.
X is also looking to add a Grok analysis option for specific words in any post.
So you’ll be able to get more context on trending terms or people, with automated rundowns based on Grok’s databanks, which are comprised of other X posts.
X is also testing out a separate Grok window, which you could keep active as you use the app.
So, as noted, X is essentially trying to make Grok more readily available, in all aspects of platform use.
Which aligns with X owner Elon Musk’s broader push on AI, which may or may not be fuelled by his spite for OpenAI, which he cofounded, then left due to creative differences.
Musk regularly criticizes OpenAI, and how it’s shifted from a non-profit to a for-profit company. He’s also attacked its AI training process, deeming it a threat to society, which is at least partly why he’s also secured billions in funding for his own xAI projects.
Given this, it makes sense that X is looking for more ways to integrate Grok, and get more people using its AI tools, though their limited availability, in that they’re only available to X Premium subscribers, means that they’re not a big factor in the wider AI race as yet.
But Musk is hoping that Grok will be a key lure to get more people paying to use the app, and if it can integrate Grok in more ways, and use Grok summaries as, essentially, a replacement for traditional media, Musk views this as a key avenue to help grow X usage and engagement.
These additions will play a part in the broader picture. There’s no word on when these updates might be launched, but they look to be on the way soon.
