According to Gizmodo, OpenAI is reportedly developing a new social media network designed to be bot-free, but with a major catch: users may need to verify their identity using biometric scans, potentially through an iris-scanning “Orb” device. The project is in very early stages with a team of fewer than 10 people and aims to create a human-only platform where users can share AI-generated content. The Orb is made by Tools for Humanity, a company co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman back in 2019, which has verified about 17 million people so far across 674 global locations. This new platform appears to be Altman’s latest attempt to solve the proliferation of AI bots online, a problem he has publicly lamented on X, referencing the “dead internet theory.” The move comes as OpenAI’s apps like ChatGPT see massive adoption, with about 700 million weekly users, but faces the colossal challenge of pulling users from Meta’s ecosystem of 3.5 billion daily active users.
The Worldcoin Connection
Here’s the thing: this isn’t a new idea for Sam Altman. It’s basically an extension of his existing, and controversial, Worldcoin project. That whole venture was built on the premise of using a physical Orb to scan your iris and give you a unique, verified digital ID. You can see where they’re located on the Worldcoin Orb finder. The theory was that this “proof of personhood” could be used everywhere—from social media to buying concert tickets—to keep bots out. But adoption has been slow. 17 million verified sounds like a lot, but it’s a tiny fraction of their one-billion-user goal. And why? Well, would you go out of your way to get your eyeball scanned by a device from a company founded by one of AI’s most powerful figures? I don’t blame people for being skeptical.
A Solution In Search Of A Problem?
So, OpenAI wants to build a social network where you *know* everyone is human. But let’s be real: do users actually want this enough to jump through a biometric hoop? Current platforms are already flooded with AI content, and people are still using them. Meta’s apps are a juggernaut, as their financial reports show. And OpenAI’s own data on how people use ChatGPT shows the tools are deeply embedded in daily life, often for creation. A new network would need to offer something truly revolutionary, not just a verification badge. The irony is thick, too. A company profiting from the AI tools that flood the web with synthetic content now wants to build a walled garden to escape it. It feels like selling the disease and the cure.
Altman’s Bot Frustration
Sam Altman’s personal frustration is a big driver here, and he hasn’t been shy about it. Back in September, he was on X reacting to what he felt was a fake, bot-driven conversation. He wrote that “AI twitter/AI reddit feels very fake in a way it really didnt a year or two ago.” A few days earlier, he mentioned the “dead internet theory” and the prevalence of LLM-run accounts. He’s not wrong—the problem is real. But is a centralized, biometric-gated platform the answer? Or does it just create a new set of privacy nightmares and a creepy barrier to entry? Governments from Spain to Kenya have already paused or investigated Worldcoin over data concerns. Porting that tech to a social network won’t make those worries go away.
The Ugly Trade-Off
This proposal forces a classic tech trade-off into the spotlight: convenience and privacy versus security and “authenticity.” To guarantee a human-only space, you apparently need to hand over some of your most unique biometric data. It’s the ultimate “show me your papers” moment for the internet. And for what? A cleaner feed? Look, the appeal of a place without spammy bots and fake engagement is obvious. Anyone who’s seen a post like this one can feel the unease. But building that utopia on a foundation of eye scans feels dystopian. OpenAI has the talent to build engaging apps, that’s clear. But convincing millions to trust it with their irises just to post memes? That’s a whole different challenge. I think they’re going to find that most people would rather deal with a few bots than an Orb.
