Elon Musk has proposed the introduction of a nominal fee for new users who wish to post on the social media platform X as a strategic measure to address the persistent issue of automated bot accounts. Responding to a post by an X account that discussed updates on the platform’s website, Musk contended that the implementation of a small fee for account creation is the most effective means to halt the relentless influx of bot accounts.
Musk highlighted the limitations of existing AI and human-operated troll farms, noting their capability to effortlessly bypass standard bot-detection mechanisms such as CAPTCHA tests. By imposing a monetary barrier, the intention is to deter the creation of bots and troll accounts, thus ensuring a more authentic and human-centric user experience on the social network X.
Elon Musk further clarified his approach to curbing the proliferation of bots on the social network X by adding a stipulation to his proposed plan of charging new users. He stated that new accounts would have the option to post content without incurring a fee after a period of three months from their creation date.
This additional detail offers an alternative for users who may prefer not to pay the fee immediately upon joining the platform. By allowing a grace period of three months before the ability to post becomes free, the strategy aims to strike a balance between discouraging bots and maintaining accessibility for genuine users who are willing to wait to engage with the network.
In keeping with the pattern of high-profile declarations about the social platform X, the specifics regarding the implementation timeline and the exact fee structure for new users remain undefined.
Previously, in October, platform X initiated a fee for new unverified users in New Zealand and the Philippines, setting the rate at $1 per year. Although these new users had the privilege of reading posts, they were restricted from engaging without payment; interactions such as posting content, liking, reposting, replying, bookmarking, and quoting posts were gated behind this fee. This model provides a potential framework that Musk could consider adapting to other regions as well.
Earlier in the month, platform X had announced an intensive crackdown on spam accounts, a move forecasted to potentially decrease follower counts for existing users. With the strategic implementation of a fee for new users to combat the issue of bots more effectively, the social media company is signaling a commitment to actively enhancing the integrity and authenticity of the user interactions on its platform.
Elon Musk has been vocal regarding the fight against AI-generated bot accounts on the social media platform X. In alignment with that battle, last year the platform updated its policy to permit the use of public posts for the purpose of training machine learning algorithms or artificial intelligence models.
Taking a step further, in July 2023, Musk revealed that his artificial intelligence venture, xAI, would leverage the public posts from platform X to refine and enhance its AI models.
In a more recent move this month, xAI made strides in AI integration by offering access to its Grok chatbot to the Premium users of the social platform X, who pay a monthly subscription of $8. This advanced chatbot feature had been an exclusive benefit for subscribers at the higher Premium+ tier, which costs $16 per month. However, the availability of Grok has now expanded to a wider user base at a lower subscription level.
Moreover, according to a report from Fortune last week, plans are underway for platform X to integrate the Grok chatbot more deeply into the user experience by enabling it to assist users in composing their posts. This development suggests an ongoing commitment to leveraging AI technology to enrich the platform’s functionalities and user engagement.
