OpenAI is building a biometric social network with WorldCoin’s ‘Orb’ or Apple’s Face ID, just to make sure that the users are people and not bots.
According to a report by Forbes, OpenAI’s developments are focused on the mission of wiping out the concerns pertaining to bots creating spam on platforms like X.
The new biometric social media
The new social media platform, which is still in its early stages of development, is focused on creating a ‘real-human-only’ platform. Their selling point for the AI giant is now to create something that will leverage users’ trust.
The company already has massive popularity through ChatGPT and Sora. Hence, they can utilize the brand trust and user base as a unique differentiator, even amongst the powerful incumbents like Instagram, X, and TikTok, which are now flooded by AI-produced content.
However, success would be difficult to predict, as they have to convince users to switch or add yet another social platform.
Re-envisioning social media
Social media is said to require users to provide ‘proof of personhood’ using either Apple’s ID or the World Orb, a secure, open-source biometric imaging device designed to verify, “are you a robot?”
‘World Orb’ is operated by ‘Tools for Humanity,’ a company founded and currently chaired by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The device scans the iris of the user to generate a unique code, which is an indication of ‘humanness.’
Social media is plagued by bot accounts mimicking human behavior, especially used in buying fake followers. They have been a particular problem for platform X. Altman, being a regular user on X, has expressed his frustration with the same. In 2025, the Elon Musk-led company removed about 1.7 million bot accounts, but the concerns persist.
Despite the solid record of OpenAI in fostering consumer virality, a social network may involve a whole different form of competition. There has not been a set timeline announced for OpenAI’s social network, and as per reports, it could be subjected to change dramatically before it’s ready for public use.
Major plans for OpenAI
OpenAI is also speculated to raise about $60 billion from Nvidia, Microsoft, and Amazon, according to the latest reports. Nvidia, whose chips power the OpenAI model, has discussed an investment of $30 billion. Yet, the company has not given any comments on what the funding is for.
