X has announced that it will shift to a customizable AI-powered algorithm aimed at tailoring user feeds more closely to individual interests.
The move, according to the company, is designed to deepen engagement and encourage users to spend more time on the platform.
Head of product Nikita Bier explained that the goal is to move beyond mainstream algorithmic feeds into more niche, interest-based communities.
“The goal for your X timeline is to get out of the mainstream algo and the political crusades and find your niche. You should be able to post about your interests and have friendly, relevant people chime in,” Bier said.
Owner Elon Musk added that by November, the platform’s algorithm would be “purely AI,” with users able to customize their feed by making requests to Grok, the in-app chatbot.
Musk also said the algorithm would be open-sourced biweekly to ensure transparency.
The concept mirrors experiments at Threads, where a test feature has been spotted allowing users to tag @threads.algo to refine what content they see.
Both approaches are designed to give users more explicit control, rather than relying solely on passive signals such as likes or watch time.
However, analysts note that adoption may be limited. Platforms such as TikTok have shown that users prefer automated interest tracking over manual adjustments, with most opting for convenience rather than active customization. Despite recurring concerns about data and algorithmic influence, history shows users rarely change behavior in response.
The update could mark a new phase in platform design if widely adopted, but whether users will actively engage with customization tools remains uncertain.
For X, the challenge lies in balancing user autonomy with the ease of automated feeds that audiences are accustomed to.
