Twitter to Display Only Tweets from Verified Accounts on For You Feed
In a bid to combat AI bots, Twitter CEO Elon Musk has announced that starting from April 15th, the For You feed will display only tweets from verified accounts. Musk stated that this is the "only realistic way" to prevent "advanced AI bot swarms" from taking over the platform. He further explained that the move will help Twitter fight a "hopeless losing battle" against the bots if they don't implement this change.
The For You feed on Twitter recommends tweets not just from the accounts a user follows, but also content based on previous tweets they've liked or other people in their network have liked. The feature was introduced on iOS back in January before being rolled out to other platforms. However, not all users appreciated the feature, leading Twitter to release an update that defaults its web and mobile apps to the timeline tab users last had open.
Musk clarified in a follow-up tweet that AI bots can pay for verification and be shown on the For You timeline as long as they don't impersonate humans. However, the move could potentially result in users seeing more promotional tweets. This is because, as previously announced by Twitter, only verified accounts will be Twitter Blue subscribers, with legacy checkmarks being removed from public personalities, companies, and government and non-government organizations on April 1st unless they pay for it.
In conclusion, Twitter's decision to display only tweets from verified accounts on the For You feed is a significant move to combat AI bots. While it may lead to more promotional content for users, it could also result in a more secure and trustworthy platform for all.
