X removes 42,000 AI chatbot accounts, wins praise from users

Elon Musk’s X has removed 42,000 chatbot accounts in an AI spam crackdown aimed at eliminating automated replies and fake engagement on the social media platform.

Nikita Bier, Head of Product of X, announced this major step as the company’s primary objective to strengthen human interaction rather than programmatic AI engagement.

“X's core value is providing an authentic pulse on humanity -- and using AI to programmatically engage with users without a human in the loop runs counter to our mission,” he wrote on X.

The users praised this significant move while suggesting crowdsourcing as a potential way to flag them more quickly. Some urged the other social media platforms to take similar steps to combat automated engagement.

One user wrote, “Great. But it feels like there are millions more left because I still see a bunch of these automated replies. Wonder if there is a way to quickly flag them. Crowdsourcing it feels like it could help.”

Another one commented, “Hey Nikita, can you make community notes do something more than just being community notes. By the time they arrive, the damage has already been done. You should start suspending or even banning accounts for too many community notes. The best way for people to learn and stop lying 24/7.”

Some users suggested fixing TikTok style video reels on X, citing, “Many of us came to X for real time conversations and posts, not to be bombarded with endless short videos every time I open the app.”

“Thanks, this is great. And probably the most important thing to keep fighting, it bothers me to no end to get replies like that. Even from accounts that only occasionally use that kind of automation,” the third one welcomed the move.