OpenAI is building a social network with biometric authentication exclusively for real users.

OpenAI is developing a “clean” social network

The company OpenAI is working on a new platform where registration may require biometric identity verification – for example, via Apple Face ID or an iris scan. The goal of the project is to create a space exclusively for real people and eliminate the “bitch,” i.e., the mass presence of bots.

Current status

- Team: fewer than 10 people.
- Platform is in an early development phase.
- The concept is based on *proof‑of‑personhood*: confirming that a user is indeed a living human. This will be a key competitive advantage, given the problems with automated accounts on other social networks.

Verification methods

Altman aims to offer a more reliable way to verify accounts than the phone numbers and email addresses used on Facebook or LinkedIn. However, human‑rights advocates warn about risks: biometric iris data are immutable, and their leakage could have serious consequences.

Why now

The initiative is unfolding against a backdrop of declining trust in platform X (formerly Twitter). After Elon Musk’s acquisition and an 80 % staff reduction—including moderators—the spam‑bot problem has worsened. Despite the removal of roughly 1.7 million bot accounts in 2025, they continue to influence discussions and manipulate cryptocurrency markets.

Sam Altman, an active X user since 2008, has repeatedly expressed disappointment with the platform’s current state. Last fall he called “AI‑Twitter” fake and referred to a “dead‑internet theory,” in which the network is overloaded with AI‑generated activity.

What already exists

- ChatGPT – 100 million users within two months; now over 800 million.
- Sora – a video‑generation app that amassed 1 million downloads in less than five days.

However, the social‑network market is already saturated with players:

- Threads (Meta) – daily users comparable to X.
- Bluesky – more than 40 million users.
- Instagram and TikTok – leaders in AI‑generated content.

Conclusion

OpenAI plans to launch a social network where every user will be biometrically verified to ensure account authenticity. This is a response to the growing problem of bots and fake profiles, but success will be difficult due to fierce competition and privacy concerns.