OpenAI might be gearing up for a bold new chapter—social media. According to The Verge, the AI giant is quietly experimenting with a new platform that could go head-to-head with Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) and Meta’s ecosystem of apps. Still in its early prototype phase, the project could either evolve into a standalone app or be seamlessly woven into ChatGPT itself.
Sources familiar with the matter say the prototype focuses heavily on ChatGPT’s image generation capabilities, built around a feed-style layout reminiscent of X. While OpenAI has yet to make any formal announcements, CEO Sam Altman is reportedly gathering outside opinions behind the scenes—likely gauging whether the world is ready for a smarter, sassier social feed.
This potential move could intensify the already heated rivalry between Altman and Musk, who once co-founded OpenAI together before going their separate ways. In a juicy twist earlier this year, Musk allegedly offered to buy OpenAI for a jaw-dropping $97.4 billion. Altman, ever the showman, declined with flair: “No thank you, but we’ll buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”
Analysts say a social platform would give OpenAI a crucial asset it currently lacks—direct access to real-time, user-generated data. Competitors are already ahead in that game: Musk’s Grok AI feeds off X content, while Meta fuels its Llama models with insights from Facebook and Instagram users.
Interestingly, Meta is also said to be developing its own “social layer” for its AI assistant, which means we might be heading for a full-blown showdown in the world of AI-powered digital communities.
Even with its plate full—upgrading GPT-4.1, forging hardware partnerships, and more—OpenAI’s foray into social media hints at a bigger ambition: to shift from being just an AI infrastructure provider to becoming a creator of immersive digital experiences. Whether this project ever sees the light of day or remains in the lab, one thing is clear—Altman’s vision for OpenAI isn’t just chatbots anymore.
