Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, has entered into a landmark partnership with Telegram to deploy its Grok chatbot on the messaging app. Valued at $300 million, the one-year deal underscores Musk’s ambition to expand Grok’s reach and compete in the increasingly crowded AI space.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced the collaboration in a post on X (formerly Twitter), confirming that xAI will pay Telegram in both cash and stock. Additionally, Telegram will receive 50% of all subscription revenue generated through the platform a potential windfall given its massive user base of over one billion.
“Telegram is a great distribution platform for AI,” Durov said, highlighting the app’s openness and scalability. By integrating Grok into Telegram, xAI aims to leverage the app’s vast network to boost user adoption of its chatbot, which is designed to deliver conversational, intelligent responses similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini.
Durov was quick to reassure users about privacy, stating that Grok will only access data explicitly shared with it during direct interactions. This statement aligns with Telegram’s longstanding reputation for strong user privacy protections an increasingly important consideration as AI tools become more embedded in daily digital communication.
For xAI, this partnership presents an opportunity to scale its technology across global markets via an established and rapidly growing platform. For Telegram, it marks a significant step toward monetization through AI, without compromising its core service.
The deal also highlights a broader trend of AI companies seeking to integrate their models into existing platforms with vast audiences, rather than relying solely on standalone applications. With Grok now set to appear natively within Telegram, users can expect AI-powered features to become part of their everyday messaging experience.
As the AI arms race continues, the xAI-Telegram collaboration could prove a pivotal moment in how next-generation tools are distributed and monetized globally.
