BIG challenge to Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg as Sam Altman's OpenAI launches its social media platform to compete with X, Instagram

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, might be planning to enter the world of social media. According to reports by CNBC and The Verge, OpenAI is quietly working on a new social platform, though it’s still in its early development stages. The exact details of the app—including how it works and what features it will have—are still unclear.

What is known so far is that OpenAI has already built a prototype for internal use. This early version seems to be centered around ChatGPT’s image-generation tool, with a focus on a social feed. It’s not yet confirmed whether the company will launch a separate app or include the social media features within the existing ChatGPT app.

Many believe that this move may be connected to the recent popularity of OpenAI’s new image generator, powered by GPT-4o. Launched last month, this tool lets users create anime-style pictures that look like they’re from Studio Ghibli films. People have been using it to turn regular selfies and photos into cute, wide-eyed cartoon-like versions, which have gone viral across the internet. These creative, shareable images have taken over timelines and sparked a new trend, with users making memes, movie still edits, and more.

Seeing how popular and widely shared these images have become, OpenAI might be exploring the idea of turning this trend into a full-fledged social media platform. The goal could be to create a space where users can share AI-generated content easily, boosting engagement and attracting more users.

Recently, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a TED interview that ChatGPT’s user base is growing quickly, so much so that one in ten people around the world now use their systems. In February, OpenAI shared that it had more than 400 million weekly active users, a jump from 300 million in December. On the business side, over 2 million companies are paying for its services. Just last month, OpenAI secured USD 40 billion in new funding, raising its value to USD 300 billion.

ChatGPT became the fastest-growing web app ever when it launched in late 2022, gaining 100 million users in just two months. Although companies like Google launched their own AI tools, like Gemini, none have managed to surpass ChatGPT’s popularity.

If OpenAI does move ahead with launching a social media platform, it may face serious questions and challenges. Social media companies like Meta (owner of Instagram and Facebook) and X (formerly Twitter, owned by Elon Musk) have faced criticism over safety concerns, especially for teens, and have struggled with content moderation.

The timing is also interesting. Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is currently involved in a major antitrust case in the US. The FTC is accusing Meta of unfairly buying up smaller rivals to keep its dominance in the social media market. If OpenAI steps into this space, it may be entering a competitive and heavily scrutinized industry, but also one with huge potential.