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Telegram has reached a preliminary agreement for a $300 million partnership with Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI. This partnership will integrate Grok, xAI’s conversational AI, into Telegram’s platform, offering a variety of features. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced this development on May 28, stating that Grok will be available this summer through Telegram’s search bar and other in-app interfaces.
Durov stated the agreement includes a combination of cash and equity payments from xAI. Telegram will also receive half of the revenue generated from xAI subscriptions sold through its app. Musk responded by saying that no contract has been finalized, though Durov clarified that the deal was “agreed in principle” with formalities still pending.
The integration will mark the start of Grok’s multi-platform rollout, beginning with Telegram’s massive global user base.
Telegram users will soon be able to access Grok’s AI features through the app's search function. A company promotional video states that Grok should include features such as chat threading, smart editing tools, message summaries, document digests, inbox agents, and moderation functions for group chats.
Durov described Grok as the “best AI technology on the market,” highlighting its potential to enhance user experience within Telegram. The partnership aims to bring scalable AI tools to over 800 million users worldwide.
With the integration, Telegram is now among the first messaging apps to offer an AI assistant that helps with many conversations and tasks. The launch complements Telegram’s commitments to providing advanced and innovative features.
TONcoin, a cryptocurrency tied to the Telegram ecosystem, surged more than 20% following the announcement. According to CoinGecko data, TON is being traded at $3.60 as of May 28 and has a market valuation of $8.9 billion. The spike also coincided with additional Telegram developments, including BlackRock’s reported involvement in Telegram’s $1.5 billion bond sale.
Telegram earlier decided that Toncoin would be the only cryptocurrency users could use for in-app services. Nikola Plecas, a former cryptocurrency executive at Visa, has also begun working as Vice President of Payments for the TON Foundation.
The combined developments reflect Telegram’s push to expand its AI offerings while deepening its blockchain partnerships through TON. Analysts note the surge in Toncoin signals growing investor confidence in Telegram’s multi-pronged technology roadmap.
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