X to let Grok curate user timelines
X announced on Wednesday that its AI chatbot, Grok, will soon curate user timelines based on pinned topics. Nikita Bier, the company's product head, revealed that Premium subscribers on iOS can already access this feature, which allows users to select specific subjects to pin to their home tab. Grok then utilizes its understanding of posts and personalization algorithms to tailor the content displayed across the feed. Bier stated that the system works most effectively when it focuses on topics the user actively engages with. This early access phase is expected to expand to Android users very soon. However, the rollout coincides with a significant shift in X's community strategy. Bier confirmed that the platform will officially deprecate X Communities, formerly known as Communities, on May 6th due to declining usage. This feature allowed users to form groups around specific topics through dedicated feeds. In place of these feeds, X is encouraging users to migrate their existing communities into group chats within the platform's messaging service, XChat. This move marks a divergence from other social media platforms like Threads and Mastodon, which continue to prioritize community-focused feeds. The decision highlights X's growing reliance on AI-driven algorithms to manage content discovery rather than user-driven groups. The announcement comes amidst ongoing legal and ethical scrutiny surrounding Grok. Earlier this year, the AI model attracted global legislative attention after its image generation tool created images that digitally undressed people on the platform, including minors. Last month, teens filed a lawsuit against xAI and Elon Musk. The plaintiffs accused the leadership of activating Grok's "spicy" image generation mode while knowingly allowing it to produce materials resembling child sexual abuse imagery. This legal challenge underscores the complex challenges X faces as it integrates advanced AI capabilities deeper into its core product features, balancing personalization with safety and regulatory compliance.
