ChatGPT maker OpenAI is thinking about building a social media network to compete with Elon Musk’s X and Meta’s Instagram, according to reports.
The Verge was the first news outlet to report the news, citing people familiar with the matter, and on Thursday, CNBC later cited a person familiar with the plans, who said it was in early stages.
The source added that the social media network is based on OpenAI’s image-generation feature launched in March, which has raised copyright concerns, as people rushed to produce Studio Ghibli-esque images with just a photo and a simple prompt.
Reproducing the Japanese artist’s work caused OpenAI’s servers to temporarily crash last month.
The company’s CEO, Sam Altman, who also changed his picture on X to resemble a Ghibli character, said that it was “super fun seeing people love images” in ChatGPT, adding “our GPUs (graphic processing units) are melting”.
Altman said the company would temporarily limit the feature and aim to make it more energy efficient.
Taking on Musk
Social media companies that are also building foundational AI models, such as Musk’s xAI and Meta, have the advantage that they can use user data and real-time data to train their AI models.
If OpenAI’s social media network goes ahead, it could also profit from user data.
The Verge reported that Altman has reportedly been privately asking outsiders for feedback about the social network and that there is an internal prototype.
The publication also said that it is not known if the network would be a separate app or be integrated with the ChatGPT app.
Altman and Musk have been at loggerheads in a legal battle over reestablishing the company as a for-profit entity.
The xAI boss was an early investor in OpenAI when it launched as a not-for-profit research lab in 2015.
