Telegram announces partnership with Musk's xAI

AI tools developed by Elon Musk's xAI are to beryllium incorporated into the messaging service, Telegram.

Announcing the deal, Telegram brag Pavel Durov said it would spot his steadfast administer the AI assistant, Grok, to Telegram's "billion+ users and integrate it into its apps".

Mr Durov said the statement - which is owed to past a twelvemonth - would spot his institution person $300m (£223m) successful currency and equity from xAI, positive 50% of gross from xAI subscriptions sold via Telegram.

"Together, we win!", helium posted connected societal media.

It follows Meta incorporating an AI work into its messaging service, WhatsApp - a improvement it was forced to defend aft grumbling from users.

Media expert Hanna Kahlert astatine Midia Research told BBC News the determination followed the signifier of "social and AI trying to sorb each other".

She said it was not, however, needfully what customers really wanted.

"Users chiefly inactive usage societal platforms to speech to their friends, and spot their friends' updates," she added.

"Adding AI into nonstop messaging inherently supplants that - it reduces spot betwixt users and distracts from the existent USP."

This tie-up brings unneurotic 2 of the astir colourful and sometimes arguable figures successful tech.

Mr Durov was arrested successful France successful August 2024, aft being accused of failing to decently mean his app to trim criminality.

Critics had branded the level the "dark web successful your pocket" due to the fact that of what they said was the magnitude of transgression enactment being discussed connected the platform.

However, Mr Durov has denied failing to cooperate with instrumentality enforcement implicit cause trafficking, kid intersexual maltreatment contented and fraud.

The level has besides rejected accusations that its moderation policies are not sufficiently robust.

Mr Musk has an incredibly wide scope of tech interests, ranging from encephalon implant start-up Neuralink to his rocket manufacturing firm, SpaceX.

He besides has a salient relation successful the medication of US President Donald Trump, and campaigned heavy to get him elected - thing that analysts accidental is contributing to slumping sales astatine his champion known firm, electrical car shaper Tesla.

The world's richest antheral has besides invested heavy successful AI.

He was a co-founder of the world's champion known AI firm, OpenAI, the institution which makes ChatGPT.

He subsequently near and became progressive successful a long-running enactment with OpenAI's boss, Sam Altman, implicit its aboriginal direction.

Earlier this year, Mr Musk spearheaded a failed effort to bargain it.

He has besides been seeking to make xAI arsenic a rival to OpenAI and different manufacture leaders.

In March, helium announced it had purchased X, the societal media level formerly known arsenic Twitter, successful a woody which valued xAI astatine $80bn (£61.8bn).