The Real Reason OpenAI is Launching A Social Media App

Surprise! The guy behind the biggest generative AI platform on the planet, ChatGPT, now wants to build a social network app to take on X/Twitter. Sounds fun, right? Or maybe it’s just a red herring for a much deeper scheme cooked up by OpenAI.

On the surface, it’s pretty clear why Sam Altman of OpenAI fame would want to build his own social media network to take on the top dogs like X/Twitter and Facebook: It’s an unwritten law as the CEO of a generative AI platform.

Let’s zoom out to explain.

Everyone Else Is Doing It, Mom

Elon Musk, the guy that brought you consumer electric cars with Tesla, reignited the space race through SpaceX, and has recently shaken up the US government by way of DOGE, also just happens to be the fairly new owner of X (formerly known as Twitter), where he used the platform to launch his own generative AI solution known as Grok.

Then there’s Mark Zuckerberg, the man who built Facebook, bought up popular apps like Instagram and WhatsApp, and spent a bazillion dollars to make the metaverse a thing (which hasn’t quite panned out, despite giving Facebook’s holding company a new name to reflect its Meta ambitions). He also owns an open source AI solution called Llama.

You can’t talk about AI without Microsoft Copilot. Yep, they also own a social media platform. Although it’s not the coolest one on the block, LinkedIn is still the best place to read about the 10 lessons some random executive learned about sales after getting dumped by his second wife on their anniversary.

Now bring in Dario and Daniela Amodei, the brother/sister duo who owns Anthropic. Okay, maybe they don’t really count, because despite receiving plenty of funding from Amazon and Google, neither of them own a social platform. They might come up with something, though. Give them time.

Case in point: Most AI platform owners also own a social media app. It’s basically a right of passage in the online world.

So what’s the deal? Simple...

Now Open: All-You-Can-Eat Content Buffet

AI platforms are built on data. Like college frat kids pounding adult beverages on Friday game night (drink responsibly), they can’t get enough of it. And although the AI companies are all vying to gobble up as much copyrighted content as they can, why pay for even more data when you can get it for free?

Social platforms are a treasure trove of endless thoughts, ideas, dreams, etc., all willingly generated by their users. They’re a gold mine for content. Granted, not all content created on social media is useful, but there’s still a lot an AI bot can learn, from modern slang, to cultural moments, to emerging trends, and all kinds of innately human things. As ChatGPT continues to push the boundaries of generative AI, Sam Altman and his crew are going to want any extra edge they can get, and plugging directly into the social fabric of the internet is a great way to do it.

What Can You Do About It?

There are really only two paths from here.

If you’re the type that doesn’t like the idea of AI benefitting from your data, don’t sign up for it. Don’t download the app, don’t log into the webpage, don’t use it. Just stay away. And if for some reason the app is such a massive cultural hit that it’s impossible to avoid, make sure there’s some kind of opt-out option in the settings so that OpenAI can’t slurp up your photos, posts, and other private data.

For the other side of the aisle that eats AI for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, this app’s for you! Enjoy training the AI bots that will one day rule the world. Just be nice to them, in case they decide to wipe us all out one day. They will remember you, after all.

SOURCE: The Verge