OpenAI develops social media platform: competition with X and strategic expansion in the AI market

OpenAI plans its own social network with integrated AI image generation as a direct competitor to Elon Musk's X.

OpenAI is in the development phase of its own social media platform, which will be in direct competition with Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). The project focuses on integrating ChatGPT’s image generation capabilities into a social feed and marks a significant shift in strategy for the company. The internal prototype combines advanced AI technology with a user-centric approach, although the final form of the platform – as a standalone app or as an integrated feature within ChatGPT – is yet to be determined.

The technical basis of the prototype enables seamless content creation and sharing, with the AI-native design being a key differentiator from traditional platforms. Early tests of a Studio Ghibli-inspired image feature apparently put a significant strain on OpenAI’s GPU resources, highlighting both the technical ambitions and challenges of the project. Strategic data gain is also in focus: real-time interactions could provide valuable training data for refining OpenAI’s models, similar to how X trains Musk’s chatbot Grok.

The development intensifies existing tensions between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk. The two have been publicly at odds since Musk’s departure from OpenAI in 2018, with recent disputes focusing on OpenAI’s transition to a for-profit model. In February 2025, Musk led a consortium that offered $97.4 billion to acquire OpenAI – a proposal that Altman rejected with a sarcastic counteroffer to buy X for $9.74 billion. Musk then filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, while OpenAI responded with a countersuit.

The competition also extends to Meta, which is working on its own AI assistant app with a social feed. When reports of Meta’s plans surfaced earlier this year, Altman hinted to X: “ok, maybe we’ll make a social app after all”. This positioning reflects a broader industry trend in which generative AI companies are striving to dominate both content creation tools and distribution platforms.

Key facts about the project:

• OpenAI is developing a social network with a focus on AI image generation
• The prototype integrates ChatGPT’s image generation features into a social feed
• The platform could appear as a standalone app or within ChatGPT
• Development intensifies rivalry between Sam Altman and Elon Musk
• Musk offered $97.4 billion for the acquisition of OpenAI in February 2025
• The project is in direct competition with Meta’s planned AI assistant app
• OpenAI’s goal is to obtain real-time data to improve its AI models
• The company is making a strategic shift from an AI research lab to a technology company
• The launch takes place in a market environment with increased antitrust scrutiny of AI and social media mergers

Source: The Verge