Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, is set to partner with messaging giant Telegram to bring the Grok chatbot to the platform’s more than one billion users.
As part of the deal, xAI will invest $300 million in a mix of cash and stock to integrate its AI-powered chatbot directly into Telegram’s app, aiming to leverage the vast user base and strengthen its foothold in the competitive AI sector.
Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, announced the one-year partnership, which also includes a revenue-sharing model. Under this agreement, Telegram will receive 50 per cent of all subscription revenues generated through the app related to Grok’s services.
Addressing privacy concerns, Durov emphasised that xAI will only access information that users explicitly share with Grok during their interactions with the chatbot, ensuring that user data remains protected.
The collaboration comes as AI firms increasingly seek high-quality data to train and enhance their models. With many open-source data sources becoming saturated, companies like Meta Platforms have begun leveraging public user interactions for AI development.
It remains unclear whether xAI will use Telegram data in a similar manner. According to its privacy policy, X — the social media platform acquired by xAI earlier this year — uses public user posts to train its AI systems.
xAI has also pursued multiple partnerships this year to expand its presence in AI infrastructure and financial services, signalling its ambitions in the technology space.
Neither xAI nor Telegram offered immediate further comments on the deal when approached by Reuters.
