Musk suggested the idea in a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He asked the businessman what X is doing against so-called bots that spread anti-Semitic messages. Musk then said that X is preparing for “a small monthly payment for usage.”
“It’s the only way I can think of to combat large armies of bots,” Musk said. “Bots cost a fraction of a cent, but if someone had to pay a few dollars, or a small amount, the cost for bots would become very high. And you also have to set up a new payment function for each new bot.”
The conversation between Musk and Netanyahu took place after fierce criticism from an American organization that fights anti-Semitism. This Anti-Defamation League (ADL) states that extremist messages on X have increased since the takeover and mass layoffs last year. But according to Musk, those claims are incorrect and the ADL has driven many advertisers away from X, which lost a lot of revenue.
Netanyahu spoke after a ‘great meeting’ with Musk. “We talked about the ways to promote the field of artificial intelligence in Israel and in the world – a key area that is so important for the future of our country,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.