OpenAI is in the early stages of developing a social network, having built an internal prototype of the platform, The Verge reported, citing sources.
However, OpenAI might still decide against entering the social media market, the publication said.
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The prototype is said to feature an interface focused on ChatGPT’s image generation capabilities.
In March, OpenAI released an update to its image generation tool, enhancing its output quality and capabilities to follow instructions.
This upgrade sparked a trend of users generating images in the style of a Japanese animation studio.
The chatbot service reached 400 million weekly active users in mid-February 2025, before the image generation tool update, reported SiliconAngle.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that more than one million new users signed up for ChatGPT within one hour of the update’s release.
The publication added that the social network’s current prototype includes a social feed, which could potentially offer more advertising opportunities.
Reports say that Altman has been “asking outsiders” to help in testing the social network prototype.
The latest development comes after OpenAI raised $40bn in a new funding round, propelling its valuation to a post-money total of $300bn.
This funding round was led by Japanese multinational investment holding company SoftBank Group, with participation from existing investors including Microsoft, Coatue Management, Thrive Capital, and Altimeter Capital.
In March 2025, the AI company introduced new image generation capabilities within its GPT-4o model, enabling the production of photorealistic visuals with greater precision.
