In a live-streamed conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk unveiled his intention to introduce monthly charges for users of the microblogging site, X formerly known as Twitter.
While Musk did not specify the exact amount or start date, he hinted at a “small monthly payment” of “a few dollars.”
This decision comes as a response to the pervasive issue of bots plaguing the platform.
Musk addressed the concern raised by Netanyahu, who pointed out that a significant portion of X’s content was generated by an “army of bots.”
Musk explained, “This is actually a super tough problem. And it’s probably really the single most important reason that we’re moving to have a small monthly payment for the use of X.”
By implementing monthly fees, the effective cost of using bots would increase substantially, as each bot would need its own payment method.
The discussion also touched upon the power of AI, which Netanyahu described as a “demon with both good and bad sides.”
Musk emphasized the need to defend against vast armies of bots, particularly as AI becomes more adept at passing CAPTCHA tests.
