X Launches AI-Powered 'Stories on X' Feature for Premium Users

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has introduced a new feature called "Stories on X" that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to provide personalized summaries of trending news and topics to its premium subscribers. This innovative offering, powered by Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok, aims to enhance the user experience by delivering concise overviews of popular discussions on the platform.

Why this matters: The integration of AI-generated summaries on social media platforms can significantly impact the way users consume news and information, potentially altering the media landscape. As AI-powered news summaries become more prevalent, they may also raise important questions about the accuracy and reliability of the information being presented.

The Stories feature, currently available exclusively to X's premium subscribers, can be found in theExplore sectionof the app. It curates content based on each user's network and interests, ensuring a tailored experience. Users can discover summaries on various subjects, ranging from Apple's upcoming iPad event to Microsoft's security overhaul and the burnout issues faced by AI engineers.

Unlike previous attempts at summarizing trends, such as Twitter's now-defunct Moments feature, which relied on human curation, the Stories on X feature is driven by Grok's AI capabilities. This ensures a more consistent and efficient implementation of the summaries. Premium and top-tier Premium+ plan users can access Grok using the bottom middle button of the app, highlighting it as a benefit for opting into premium subscriptions.

However, the AI-powered approach to news summaries has raised some concerns. Tech journalist Alex Kantrowitz points out that Grok's method of basing its summaries on conversations happening on X, rather than the text of articles, may potentially paint an inaccurate picture of the news being shared. "New @elonmusk emailed me about his plan for AI news on X. The idea is to use AI to blend breaking news and commentary, building real-time summaries of events. Then you can go deeper via chat on Grok,"Kantrowitz sharedin a post on X.

Despite these concerns, the rise of AI-powered news summaries presents both challenges and opportunities for the media industry. While some worry about the impact on traffic to news sites, as users may be less inclined to click through to the original articles, others see potential for driving traffic and providing a more efficient way for readers to stay informed. News publishers are increasingly making deals with AI providers to stay ahead of the curve and ensure their content remains accessible and relevant in the age of AI-generated summaries.

The introduction of the Stories on X feature marks a significant step in X's ongoing efforts to integrate AI technology into its platform and provide enhanced experiences for its users. As the social media landscape continues to evolve, the role of AI in curating andsummarizing newsand trends is likely to become increasingly prominent. While challenges remain in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of AI-generated content, the potential benefits in terms of user engagement and information accessibility cannot be ignored.

Key Takeaways

• X introduces "Stories on X" feature, providing personalized news summaries to premium subscribers using AI chatbot Grok.
• AI-generated summaries may alter the media landscape, raising concerns about accuracy and reliability.
• Stories on X curates content based on user network and interests, offering concise overviews of popular discussions.
• Grok's AI capabilities ensure consistent and efficient summaries, unlike human-curated attempts like Twitter's Moments.
• The rise of AI-powered news summaries presents challenges and opportunities for the media industry, including traffic and accessibility concerns.