It seems that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is going after Elon Musk’s X and Mark Zuckerberg’s Instagram with a new social network. According to reports from CNBC and The Verge, OpenAI is secretly developing the platform, which is still in its early stages.
Not much is known about the social network, including its features or how it will differ from existing platforms, but OpenAI has reportedly built an internal prototype focused on ChatGPT’s image generation, featuring a social feed. It remains to be seen if the company plans to build a standalone app or if it integrates into the ChatGPT app.
ChatGPT’s new image generator is powered by GPT-4o model. (Image Source: ChatGPT)
The reason behind OpenAI’s intent in entering the social networking space remains unclear, but some speculate it could be linked to the company’s new image generator powered by GPT-4o, which went live last month. The tool allows users to create Studio Ghibli-inspired images with a simple prompt. Ghibli’s “house style”—or an imitation of it—is available as a generative filter, and social media timelines have since been flooded with cutesy, wide-eyed selfies and iconic photographs transformed into anime-style images.
With the feature taking the world by storm—and allowing users to transform everyday pictures into anime-style images—OpenAI could be considering expanding it into a social media project. The virality of the image-generation tool and its impact on everyday users—fueling a trend of memes, altered movie stills, and edgy images turned cute—may be what’s driving OpenAI to explore the idea of a social network.
In an interview with TED late last week, Sam Altman said ChatGPT’s user base was “growing very rapidly” and suggested it had doubled within a few weeks. In fact, according to Altman, one in ten people globally now use OpenAI’s systems, with the company seeing a boost from its new image-generation feature.
In February, OpenAI revealed that its weekly active users had surged past 400 million, while its paying business users also crossed the 2 million mark. The high-profile AI startup had 300 million weekly active users in December, underscoring how rapidly its products have grown in popularity. Last month, OpenAI announced it had raised $40 billion in its latest funding round, valuing the company at $300 billion.
Do you ask AI health questions? (Source: Freepik)
OpenAI rose to fame when it launched ChatGPT, which became the fastest-growing web application in history, reaching 100 million monthly active users just two months after its release. Several competitors later launched similar AI chatbots to ChatGPT, including Google’s Gemini, but none have been able to surpass the GPT model that powers the application.
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While OpenAI faces pressure to increase users on its flagship ChatGPT application, its pivot to a social network may face scrutiny—especially given the current legal and regulatory landscape surrounding social media. Social media companies have been accused of mishandling potentially harmful content on their platforms and failing to ensure safety for teens.
The news of OpenAI developing a social network also comes at a time when Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been testifying in an antitrust case brought by the FTC, which alleges Meta acquired smaller rivals to preserve its power and illegally monopolised the social media market.The historic antitrust case, currently underway, threatens to break up the company’s $1.3 trillion business empire.
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