X has introduced AI-generated news summaries for its premium subscribers. The summaries are powered by the Grok AI engine, which uses X posts to generate real-time summaries of trending conversations on the app. This feature aims to provide a quick overview of popular issues, eliminating the need to sift through multiple posts or click through to external websites for more information.
However, there are potential downsides. X plans to use only its own posts for these summaries, which could lead to confusion if the posts are off-topic or sarcastic. For instance, Grok recently misinterpreted posts, leading to inaccurate story generation. The system's reliance on the accuracy of X posts and its ability to correctly interpret them is a significant challenge.
Another potential issue is the impact on news publishers. By providing detailed in-stream story summaries, X reduces the need for users to visit external websites, potentially diminishing the value of X for news publishers. This is part of X owner Elon Musk's strategy to make X a self-contained destination, with features like in-stream articles and long-form posts.
However, if news publishers see a drop in traffic from X, they may reduce their activity on the platform. This could be problematic as 80% of X users do not post or engage on the app, and the majority of X's content and engagement comes from just 20% of its user base. If key publishers stop posting to X, users may seek similar experiences elsewhere.
Despite these potential issues, X believes in the potential of AI story summaries and sees it as a step towards improving user experience. All X Premium subscribers now have access to these new summaries.
