Is OpenAI building a social network for ChatGPT's viral image generator?
OpenAI is reportedly working on a social media prototype for sharing images generated by ChatGPT.
According to The Verge, who spoke with anonymous sources "familiar with the matter," OpenAI is working on a social media feed akin to X that would host ChatGPT-generated images created by users. This would reportedly serve two goals: boosting visibility of ChatGPT's now-viral image generator and serving as a source for real-time user data. (Google, Meta, and X all have vast amounts of user data, some of which can be leveraged for AI training.) The Verge also reports that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been privately asking for feedback on such a tool.
It's unclear whether the social feed would be a standalone social networking app or integrated with ChatGPT, similar to the feed of user-generated images on Midjourney. It also calls to mind the video feed that already exists on OpenAI's standalone Sora app, which serves as a space for users to explore how others are using the AI video generator.
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Of course, there's a lot of distance between a social networking feed of user-generated content and a genuine social media app, like X or Instagram. If the company did venture into the social media space one day, it would likely make the feud between Musk and OpenAI even more contentious. Sources told The Verge that Grok's relationship with X, which is now also owned by Elon Musk's xAI company, has "made everyone jealous" since "people create viral tweets by getting it to say something stupid."
Musk is currently suing OpenAI for breach of contract by attempting to convert its capped for-profit into a full-fledged for-profit corporation. Recently Musk offered to buy OpenAI for $97 billion, an offer than Altman firmly rejected.
OpenAI would also be taking on Meta, another AI rival. Meta AI benefits from gathering user data to train its Llama models, and the company is also reportedly planning a standalone Llama app to compete with ChatGPT.
Altman has jokingly referred to building a social media app in the past. In response to a February CNBC report, Altman wrote on X, "ok fine maybe we'll do a social app."
Cecily is a tech reporter at Mashable who covers AI, Apple, and emerging tech trends. Before getting her master's degree at Columbia Journalism School, she spent several years working with startups and social impact businesses for Unreasonable Group and B Lab. Before that, she co-founded a startup consulting business for emerging entrepreneurial hubs in South America, Europe, and Asia. You can find her on X at @cecily_mauran.
