Why Musk's X platform could soon go behind a paywall

UNDATED (WKRC) - Elon Musk has hinted that his X platform could soon go behind a paywall.

According to the BBC, Musk told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the payment system was the only way to counter bots.

"We're moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the system," Musk told the prime minister.

It remained unclear if Musk had plans in motion to implement the change or if it was just an off-the-cuff comment.

Elon Musk has long stated his desire to rid the platform of bots in order to create a more authentic experience between users, with charging for verification being one of his most talked about remedies for the problem.

After taking over Twitter and overseeing its transition to X, Musk and his team have implemented incentives to encourage users to pay for a subscription, now called X Premium. Users who pay can take advantage of features like increased visibility and less restrictive character limits for their posts.

Musk told the BBC that "a bot costs a fraction of a penny" to make. "But if somebody even has to pay a few dollars or something, some minor amount, the effective cost to bots is very high."

Per the BBC, the primary reason for the meeting between Musk and Netanyahu was to discuss AI technology and regulation. The two also talked about hate speech on X, as Musk has recently been embroiled in a dispute with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and has threatened to sue the organization after it decried his social media platform as being anti-Semitic.