Tech mogul Elon Musk has revealed plans to introduce a modest fee for new users joining the social media platform X in an effort to counteract the rise of bots.

Musk argues that levying a small charge is the most effective way to tackle the “flood of bots” that easily bypass standard verification methods like CAPTCHA.

Addressing user concerns about social media changes, Musk stressed the necessity of a fee to discourage bot activity. He noted that current AI and troll operations can effortlessly navigate verification systems meant to weed out bots.

To Musk, introducing a nominal fee for new accounts offers a practical solution to this ongoing challenge.

In response to a query from another user, Musk clarified that this fee would be applicable only to new accounts during their first three months. After this initial period, new users would gain unrestricted posting access without any fee.

While the specifics of the fee and its launch date remain undisclosed, X had previously experimented with a similar strategy in October. During that trial, new unverified users from New Zealand and the Philippines were asked to pay an annual fee of $1 for posting and interactive features.

There’s speculation that Musk might extend this fee model to other regions as well.

X recently launched a campaign against spam accounts, cautioning users that their follower counts might see fluctuations. Yet, the move to introduce fees for new users indicates a deeper commitment to tackling the bot issue.

Musk has been vocal about the risks associated with AI-powered bots. Last year, X updated its policy to allow public posts for machine learning and AI training. Musk’s AI venture, xAI, had earlier announced plans to use public posts for such training.

In a related development, xAI has rolled out its Grok chatbot to X’s premium subscribers who pay a monthly fee. Initially exclusive to Premium+ users, the Grok chatbot is reportedly set for broader availability, enabling users to draft posts with the AI-driven tool.