Bluesky isn’t the only company exploring AI to create custom feeds. X recently launched Grok-powered Custom Timelines, offering users more than 75 topic-specific feeds that can be pinned to the home tab. This is considered one of the biggest updates to the app, using Grok’s AI to customize timelines for each user.
The release of these custom feeds coincides with X’s decision to close X Communities, a feature that had allowed users to form member-based communities around various topics but experienced decreasing engagement.
Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, explained that the custom timelines are especially effective for topics users already engage with. Unlike traditional signals such as keywords or hashtags, Grok’s AI assigns topic labels by understanding each post’s content. This feature is made possible by AI models from Grok owner xAI, further integrating it with X following xAI’s acquisition last year.
Initially, the custom timelines are available to Premium subscribers on iOS, with Android support on the way. All Premium subscribers can access this feature.
Users can find the feature by scrolling past the “For You” and “Following” feeds on X, tapping the plus sign to select which custom timelines to pin. Up to 10 topics or lists can be pinned, and users can reorder them accordingly.
Notably, each feed’s second position is an ad, suggesting X has increased its ad inventory. This comes amidst reports of struggles in X’s ad revenue since Musk’s acquisition, with mixed forecasts on its future.
X offers over 75 category options for custom timelines. These include broad categories like Business & Finance, Sports, Technology, Politics, and others. Specific sports options are also available, along with categories related to pop culture and technology.
General categories cover topics such as anime, digital art, photography, career, and more. News-related topics include Iran Conflict, Crime, and Elections, reflecting current discussions on X.
Though Grok aims to be politically neutral, there have been concerns about it amplifying misinformation. However, initial tests found the custom timelines drawing from a diverse range of sources.
Whether these custom feeds will significantly change X usage remains to be seen. They provide an option to explore new interests or dive into relevant topics, enhancing the user experience when combined with the new “Snooze Topics” option for the For You feed.
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