Sam Altman’s OpenAI Working on New Social Network With No Bots Allowed

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, may soon launch its own social media platform. Only real humans will be able to create accounts. According to reports, biometric identification, such as Face ID, could be used to prevent bots.

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 12:00 AM (IST)
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Sam Altman’s OpenAI Working on New Social Network With No Bots Allowed
Sam Altman’s OpenAI Working on New Social Network With No Bots Allowed

OpenAI, a major name in artificial intelligence, is now preparing to enter the social media arena. According to reports, the company is working on a social network where bot accounts will have no place. This AI company, led by Sam Altman, wants to make its platform completely "human-only" to distinguish it from existing platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok.

According to a Forbes report, this social network is still in its early stages and is being developed by a small team of fewer than 10 people. The biggest attraction of this platform is that only real humans will be allowed to create accounts. Through this project, OpenAI hopes to capitalize on the popularity of its viral apps like ChatGPT and Sora.

Reports indicate that OpenAI is considering incorporating biometric identification into this social network. Users could be asked for "proof of personhood," or proof of their human identity. Apple's Face ID or World Orb could be used for this.

World Orb is a special kind of iris scanner used for creating a unique identity for every human based on the iris of the eye. This system is run through a company called Tools for Humanity, which was founded by Sam Altman.

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Indeed, bot accounts have always been a significant problem for social media platforms. Bot accounts can be used to artificially inflate cryptocurrency prices, propagate hate content, or manipulate public opinion. This problem on Twitter, however, has been particularly pronounced since Elon Musk acquired the company, rebranded it to X, and terminated 80% of its staff. This weakened the trust and safety team. Although Musk initiated a crusade against bots, and 1.7 million bot accounts were terminated by 2025, it is not a problem that has gone away entirely.

Sam Altman himself has been an active user on X since 2008 and has repeatedly expressed his displeasure with bots. In September 2025, he wrote that Twitter and Reddit, filled with AI, no longer feel as real as they once did. More recently, he referred to the "Dead Internet Theory," noting that a large number of AI-run accounts are now visible on social media. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri also stated in December 2025 that social media feeds are gradually becoming filled with "synthetic content."

Platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn use phone numbers, email addresses, and behavioral signals for identity proofing, but they don't adopt biometric identification. OpenAI's approach may be different. However, privacy experts have expressed concerns about technology like World Orb, as iris scans cannot be altered and could pose a threat if they fall into the wrong hands.

It's currently unclear how OpenAI's social network will integrate with its existing products, but reports suggest it could allow users to create content such as videos and images using AI. A launch timeline is currently unclear, and it could undergo significant changes before public release.

Muskan Kumawat Journalist & Writer