Elon Musk has a new vision for AI-powered journalism on X (formerly Twitter). Speaking at the Cannes Lions event, Musk suggested that the future of news lies in AI’s ability to aggregate social media posts into a real-time news feed, a model he believes will be “better than conventional journalism.”
“What we’re doing on the X platform is we are aggregating — we’re using AI to sum up the aggregate input from millions of users,” Musk said during an interview with Mark Read, CEO of advertising group WPP. He emphasized that this new model would gather information from people at the scene and experts in the field, summarizing it into a comprehensive news feed.
Musk’s proposal aligns with his long-standing support for “citizen journalism,” where the public plays an active role in collecting and disseminating news. However, this approach is not without risks. Experts warn that using AI to curate news could exacerbate the spread of misinformation.
Nic Newman from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford likened Musk’s plan to “old Twitter on steroids.” He noted that while some citizen journalism can be reliable, the aggregation of unchecked information may not enhance human understanding. “What we’ve discovered is that falsehoods can spread rapidly before the truth has time to catch up,” Newman said.
Despite Musk’s claims that X can “very quickly” correct misinformation, recent studies, including the 2024 Digital News Report from the Reuters Institute, found that platforms like X and TikTok are the least trustworthy sources for distinguishing fact from fiction. These platforms have been known to host misinformation on various topics, raising concerns about their reliability.
Furthermore, Musk’s focus on aggregating input from “experts in the field” contrasts with his actions, such as removing blue checkmarks for journalists, which has made it harder to identify credible sources on the platform.
Social-media consultant Matt Navarra added, “When using AI to sift through millions of posts, it can be challenging to verify if someone is genuinely an expert.” He also raised concerns about the trustworthiness of content on X and the compensation model for experts whose input is aggregated.
As Musk’s ambitious plan unfolds, it remains to be seen whether it will revolutionize newsgathering or amplify existing issues of misinformation. Stay tuned for more updates on how Elon Musk’s AI-driven approach is shaping the future of news on X.
Discussion about this post