X deploys upgraded Grok AI to reclaim $1 million in stolen creator payouts
New measures redirect monetised impressions to original authors and suspend accounts repeatedly soliciting follows, as the social network detects 1.5 million stolen posts in its latest reporting cycle.
X has introduced stricter enforcement protocols targeting creators who attempt to exploit its revenue-sharing programme through content theft and engagement bait. The platform is leveraging an upgraded version of its Grok artificial intelligence model, which now identifies duplicated content at three times the rate of its previous iteration. This technological shift aims to curb the recirculation of viral material that is often repurposed to generate likes, follows, and direct financial payouts.
In its most recent cycle, X detected 1.5 million posts that had been stolen from other users. Under the new policy, monetised impressions generated by such content will be redirected to the original uploader. The company reported that over $1 million in creator payouts will be returned to the rightful authors as a result of these enforcement actions. The crackdown extends to modified content, including posts with added watermarks, intros, or edits designed to obscure the source, as well as copies of viral text posts.
Bier, X’s head of creator monetisation, noted that the most frequently stolen text post is the phrase “Twitter is like the smoking section of the internet,” highlighting the persistence of users who continue to refer to the platform by its former name. The policy also addresses accounts that solicit engagement by promising follows in exchange for replies. Users found committing such violations three or more times will be removed from the creator programme and referred to the platform’s policy team for suspension.
This move follows previous efforts by X to discourage content theft, including the introduction of a native video editor and recorder to encourage creators to post original material directly on the platform. The company has also accelerated its bot mitigation efforts, with Bier stating in April that the platform was identifying and suspending 208 bots per minute, a rate that has been growing.
The enforcement actions against engagement bait align with previous interventions by X, including scrutiny of high-profile creators such as Mr. Beast for using financial incentives to drive viewership. While competitors like Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit have also implemented technical measures to detect uncredited reposts, X’s reliance on its AI-driven detection tools marks a significant escalation in its approach to protecting the creator economy.
