OpenAI is reportedly developing its own social media platform. The Verge, which has broken the news, describes the project as “X-like” in nature.
Little is known about the new site beyond the fact that it exists. The Verge writes that the company is working on an “internal prototype” that involves a “feed” feature and may be built around the company’s image-generation capabilities. There doesn’t appear to be a name for the platform, and it’s also unclear whether it would be separate from ChatGPT or would be integrated into the company’s existing automation service.
Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, has been quietly inviting feedback on the project, sources who spoke with the outlet communicated. Gizmodo reached out to OpenAI for more information.
The move has largely been interpreted as a way to stay competitive with Meta and xAI, Elon Musk’s AI business (which is integrated with Musk’s social media platform, X). Given the description of the new platform prototype as being “X-like,” it stands to reason that this news was designed to ruin Musk’s day. Musk and Altman were previously business partners at OpenAI but Musk left the organization and the two have been bitter rivals ever since. Musk previously attempted to buy OpenAI, though Altman turned him down flat.
Why would we need another social media platform? And what are the potential benefits of a social media platform operated by the world’s most valuable artificial intelligence business? The Verge writes:
One idea behind the OpenAI social prototype…is to have AI help people share better content. “The Grok integration with X has made everyone jealous,” says someone working at another big AI lab. “Especially how people create viral tweets by getting it to say something stupid.”
Critics and social scientists alike have noted that AI is destined to make humans exponentially stupider. The problem is “cognitive offloading,” which describes the process whereby a person may rely on AI to conduct critical thinking tasks for which they were previously responsible. There’s no telling what OpenAI’s new project might look like (if it even comes to fruition), but it’s safe to say that if it is designed to help users post “better content,” I think we may have already reached the bottom of the “cognitive offloading” barrel.