X opens sources its algorithm while facing a fine over transparency and Grok controversies

In 2023, the site was then known partly as Twitter Its algorithm is open source For the first time. In those days, Tesla billionaire Elon Musk had only recently acquired the platform and claimed to be on a mission to restructure the social media platform to make it more transparent.

However, the code version of the algorithm was quickly criticized for being “Transparency Theater‘, with critics pointing out that it was ‘incomplete’, and that it did not reveal much about the inner workings of the organisation, or why the code worked the way it did.

Now, the site (rebranded as X) has open-sourced the algorithm again, fulfilling a promise Musk made last week. “We will make the new 𝕏 algorithm, including all the code used to determine recommended organic and ad posts to users, open source in 7 days.” He said. Musk also promised to provide transparency into the algorithm every four weeks for the foreseeable future.

in job On GitHub on Tuesday, X provided an accessible article about his feed creation code, as well as a diagram of how the program works.

What’s revealed isn’t particularly earth-shattering, but it does provide a peek behind the algorithmic curtain. the graph He explains that when sifting through content to feed a particular user, the site’s algorithm takes into account their engagement history (posts they’ve clicked on, etc.) and surveys recent posts within the network. It also performs machine learning-based analysis of “offline” posts — as in content from accounts the user doesn’t necessarily follow — that it thinks the user might also find engaging.

The algorithm then filters out certain types of posts, including those that come from banned accounts or are linked to muted keywords, as well as content deemed too violent or spam-like. The algorithm then ranks this content based on what it thinks the user will find most engaging. This process takes into account factors such as relevancy and diversity of content so users don’t get a bunch of similar posts. The algorithm also considers content according to the likelihood that a user will like it, reply to it, repost it, favorite it, or interact with it in some way.

This entire system is based on artificial intelligence, according to In other words, Grok looks for what you click on and like, and then feeds that information into its recommendation system. The article also notes that there is no “manual feature engineering for content relevance,” meaning that humans are not manually adjusting how the algorithm determines what is relevant. He adds that automation “dramatically reduces complexity in our data pipelines and service infrastructure.”

Why is X revealing all this now? It’s not entirely clear. In the past, Musk has claimed that he wants to make the platform a model for corporate transparency — a theme that continues today. In 2023, when the Twitter algorithm was first revealed, Musk He said that Providing “code transparency” would be “incredibly awkward at first” but would ultimately “result in a rapid improvement in the quality of recommendations.” He added: “The most important thing is that we hope to gain your trust.” With the first open source code, the platform announced “A new era of transparency“For Twitter.

Although Musk has talked about transparency, some aspects of the platform have arguably become less open since Musk acquired it. When the tech billionaire bought Twitter in 2022, the site in particular was forced to transition from a public company To a special one– Sophistication is not usually synonymous with openness. While the site is used for release Multiple transparency reports annually,X has not been released First transparency report Until September 2024. In December, X He was also fined $140 million By EU regulators who claimed the site had breached “transparency obligations” under the Digital Services Act (DSA), and argued that the site’s validation flag system made it difficult for users to judge the authenticity of certain accounts.

Company X has also come under pressure over the past month over the ways in which its chatbot, Grok, has been used to create and distribute sexual content. California Attorney General’s Office Lawmakers in Congress Both have scrutinized the platform in recent weeks, citing allegations that Grok had been used to create nude images of women and minors. As a result, some may view this as a call for openness Just like theater.