Twitter Expands Recommendations Push with New Tests

The Twitter application is seen on a digital device, April 25, 2022, in San Diego. (AP)
The Twitter application is seen on a digital device, April 25, 2022, in San Diego. (AP)
TT
20

Twitter Expands Recommendations Push with New Tests

The Twitter application is seen on a digital device, April 25, 2022, in San Diego. (AP)
The Twitter application is seen on a digital device, April 25, 2022, in San Diego. (AP)

Twitter is expanding how it recommends posts from accounts that users do not follow, the social media company announced on Tuesday.

As part of the expansion, it is also building tools for users to control and provide feedback on that content.

"With millions of people signing up for Twitter every day, we want to make it easier for everyone to connect with accounts and Topics that interest them," Twitter said in a blog post.

The tests come as social media companies double down this year on what they call "unconnected content," or posts from accounts users do not follow, after short video app TikTok shot to prominence relying entirely on algorithm-driven suggestions.

Among the new designs Twitter has been testing is placement of "related tweets" below conversations on a tweet detail page, said Angela Wise, a senior director of product management responsible for "discovery" on the service.

Twitter is also experimenting with an "X" tool that users may click to remove recommended tweets they do not like from their timelines, the blog post said.

Competitor Meta Platforms is aiming to double the percentage of recommended content that fills its users' feeds on Facebook and Instagram by the end of 2023, it disclosed in July.

Twitter is making less of a wholesale shift than that, having embraced recommended tweets in its home timeline as far back as 2014, although at least some of its redesigns likewise include nods to TikTok.

In one recent experiment presenting a choice between algorithmic and chronological versions of its home timeline, it renamed the algorithmic version "For You," the same as TikTok's main page, for example.

Twitter's Wise said the company's discovery efforts were largely aimed at new users, who have yet to figure out which accounts to follow and generally send the company fewer signals about their interests than do prolific longtime tweeters.

Some users have complained about "related tweets" exposing them to irrelevant hyperpartisan content and creating confusion over which tweets were part of a conversation and which were suggested by algorithm.



OpenAI Finds More Chinese Groups Using ChatGPT for Malicious Purposes

FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken February 8, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken February 8, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
TT
20

OpenAI Finds More Chinese Groups Using ChatGPT for Malicious Purposes

FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken February 8, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken February 8, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

OpenAI is seeing an increasing number of Chinese groups using its artificial intelligence technology for covert operations, which the ChatGPT maker described in a report released Thursday.

While the scope and tactics employed by these groups have expanded, the operations detected were generally small in scale and targeted limited audiences, the San Francisco-based startup said, according to Reuters.

Since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022, there have been concerns about the potential consequences of generative AI technology, which can quickly and easily produce human-like text, imagery and audio.

OpenAI regularly releases reports on malicious activity it detects on its platform, such as creating and debugging malware, or generating fake content for websites and social media platforms.

In one example, OpenAI banned ChatGPT accounts that generated social media posts on political and geopolitical topics relevant to China, including criticism of a Taiwan-centric video game, false accusations against a Pakistani activist, and content related to the closure of USAID.

Some content also criticized US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, generating X posts, such as "Tariffs make imported goods outrageously expensive, yet the government splurges on overseas aid. Who's supposed to keep eating?".

In another example, China-linked threat actors used AI to support various phases of their cyber operations, including open-source research, script modification, troubleshooting system configurations, and development of tools for password brute forcing and social media automation.

A third example OpenAI found was a China-origin influence operation that generated polarized social media content supporting both sides of divisive topics within US political discourse, including text and AI-generated profile images.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on OpenAI's findings.

OpenAI has cemented its position as one of the world's most valuable private companies after announcing a $40 billion funding round valuing the company at $300 billion.