Bastrop, Texas, USA – Users of the social media platform X will now have to pay to access the popular artificial intelligence tool Grok AI, after the company ended free access to the feature.
The platform, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, has made the tool available only to subscribers of its Premium and Premium+ plans.
Okay News reports that the change brings an end to the free use of the feature that many users relied on to quickly verify information in online discussions.
Previously, users could tag the AI in replies by asking “Grok, is this true?” to receive instant fact checks or summaries of long threads. However, free users attempting to use the command are now shown a message asking them to subscribe before they can access the AI’s response.
The company said the decision is partly due to the high computing costs required to run the AI service. It also aims to reduce spam, as some accounts had started using the tool repeatedly to increase their visibility in comment sections.
The move reflects Musk’s broader strategy of limiting some of the platform’s most advanced tools to users who pay for the service.
