xAI to Pay Telegram $300M to Bring Grok Chatbot to Users

Telegram has signed a one-year deal with Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, to bring its chatbot, Grok, directly into the messaging platform. The agreement includes integrating Grok across Telegram’s ecosystem of mini-apps and services.

As part of the deal, xAI will pay Telegram $300 million in a combination of cash and equity, according to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who announced the partnership on Tuesday.

Telegram will also receive half of the revenue generated from xAI subscriptions purchased through the platform.

Earlier this year, Grok became available to Telegram’s premium subscribers. With this new arrangement, the AI assistant may now become accessible to a broader base of users.

A video shared by Durov on the social platform X shows how Grok will function inside the app. Users will be able to:

• Pin Grok at the top of chat windows

• Ask questions using the app’s search bar

• Receive writing suggestions

• Summarize chats, links, and documents

• Generate stickers

• Support business-related inquiries and help with moderation tasks

The integration echoes a broader trend across messaging platforms. Meta, for example, has recently added its own AI tool to the search functions in Instagram and WhatsApp.

What This Means

For Telegram, the deal positions the app as a competitive space for AI-assisted communication—while generating new revenue from subscriptions. For xAI, it expands Grok’s reach beyond X (formerly Twitter) and into a fast-growing global messaging platform.

The partnership highlights how chat apps are becoming a key distribution channel for generative AI tools. As users increasingly rely on messaging platforms for both personal and professional tasks, embedding AI features directly into those spaces could reshape how people interact, search, and create content.

It’s a strategic move that reflects both companies’ shared ambition to move fast and compete with larger tech players—now with $300 million backing the push.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.