- X’s new feature, Stories, powered by Grok AI, provides personalized news summaries.
- Premium subscribers access summaries for trending topics, enhancing user experience.
- The AI-driven approach raises concerns about misinformation but offers convenience for users.
X, previously known as Twitter, has introduced a groundbreaking feature called Stories, powered by Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok.
This new feature delivers concise summaries of trending news stories tailored to each user’s interests.
Users with X Premium subscriptions can now access these summaries directly from the Explore section of the app.
The Explore section’s “For You” tab curates trending stories based on the user’s network activity and other suggestions. It serves as a convenient way for users to stay updated on platform discussions without scrolling through endless timelines.
With Stories, users can now delve into each trending topic and quickly grasp its essence through a succinct summary provided at the top of the page.
For example, if a TechCrunch reader’s For You page includes stories about Apple’s upcoming iPad event, Microsoft’s security updates, and burnout among AI engineers, they can easily access summaries of each story.
These summaries, powered by Grok, offer a brief overview of the subject matter, providing valuable insights into the news being discussed.
However, it’s essential to note that Grok’s summaries come with a disclaimer urging users to verify their outputs, as AI can sometimes make mistakes.
Despite this cautionary note, the integration of AI-powered summaries represents a significant evolution in how trending news is presented on social media platforms like X.
Unlike Twitter’s previous attempts to annotate trends with additional information, X’s Stories provides consistent summaries for all top news items featured on the For You page.
This standardized approach ensures that users receive concise and informative summaries for every trending topic.
Access to Grok is a key selling point for X’s Premium subscriptions, enticing users with the promise of real-time access to exclusive X data.
By tapping into Grok’s capabilities, users can gain deeper insights into trending topics and engage with platform discussions more effectively.
Tech journalist Alex Kantrowitz sheds light on Elon Musk’s vision for AI-powered news on X, emphasizing the importance of conversations as the core of Grok’s summaries.
Instead of analyzing article text, Grok focuses on the discussions taking place on the platform, capturing the essence of user reactions and opinions surrounding each news story.
While this approach may raise concerns about the accuracy of news representation, Kantrowitz acknowledges the potential opportunities it presents.
However, he also highlights the growing trend of AI-driven news summaries across various platforms, including startups like Arc and Particle.
These developments could impact traffic to traditional news sites, potentially reshaping the media landscape in the long run.
To address these challenges, some news publishers are forging partnerships with AI providers like OpenAI, enabling them to leverage AI technologies while preserving the integrity of their content.
In contrast, X’s reliance on platform conversations to generate news summaries raises concerns about misinformation and content accuracy.
