If you’ve used X at all in the last few weeks, you would be well aware that Grok exists, and that it’s now available to help you create images, conduct research on trends, explain posts, etc.
That’s because X is promoting its AI chatbot everywhere that it can in the app, with a Grok button in the sidebar, and another one in the post composer window, as well as ads for Grok in-stream, a Grok “explain this post” icon on every post, and more.
Yes, X is very keen to get more people using its “anti-woke” chatbot, and its expanded capabilities.
And soon, you’re going to see even more Grok options in-stream, as X looks at add more post composer options, as well as suggestions of questions to ask Grok on selected posts.
First off, on composer options, as you can see in this example, shared by app researcher @swak_12, X is working on a simplified “Generate image” option within the post composer, along with “Enhance your post”, which would be accessible via the xAI icon:
That’ll make it easier to add an AI-generated visual to accompany your update, while the post enhancement options will offer ways to customize and improve your posts, based on AI recommendations.
As you can see, there’s also an option to “Fix facts” within your update. Which, given Grok’s track record for accuracy, might not be entirely factual.
There are also options to shorten your update, for when you exceed the character limit, or give your posts an alternative personality, in case yours isn’t very interesting.
Which, as with all AI post composer options, seems to run counter to the actual “social” elements of social media, in that it removes the human element from the equation. But xAI is spending a heap to power its Grok tools, so it’s really keen to get more people using them where it can.
On another front, X is also rolling out Grok-generated queries that it’s displaying beneath posts in-stream:
That could help to give you more context on an update, by prompting you with questions that you never thought to ask. Which could, conceivably, help to enhance contextual understanding as you scroll through, but again, it also lessens the human element. And if users can just use Grok to artificially simulate a character that they want to be in the app, that no longer feels as social, or as human, as social platforms of the past.
But maybe we’re beyond that either way, and maybe, given the growing array of generative AI tools on offer, this is going to be the future, whether we like it or not, with more and more elements powered by robots, who will prompt us with ever-expanded options.
Either way, as noted, xAI has to pay the bills somehow, as it looks to justify its $50 billion valuation, and clearly, X wants AI to be a bigger part of the in-app experience, in virtually every form.
That still feels artificial, but with Meta also looking to introduce AI generated character profiles, it seems like more and more of our interactions will be with created entities in future, no matter how we view it.
So it doesn’t seem overly good to facilitate bot posting, but it may also be inevitable.
And who knows? Maybe these additions will actually make us smarter, and more informed, and facilitate greater understanding in the world.
That was the original promise of social media apps, in that giving everyone a voice would enable greater perspective, and thus, greater understanding and tolerance.
It hasn’t ended up going that way, and I doubt generative AI tools will help either. But they’re coming, whether you like it or not. So probably best to focus on the positives.
