So, it seems that Sam Altman is contemplating launching a social network, with the social feed built around images generated by ChatGPT. There was a time when everyone wanted to launch a social network, especially around the time Facebook became really popular. Some of you may remember Google+, which I thought would dent Facebook. I was so wrong—Google+ sank like a rock. Not something I’m proud of but I might as well admit it, because stuff on the Net lives forever.
But it’s interesting that AI chatbots like ChatGPT want to integrate a social network even as social networks like Facebook integrate AI-driven chatbots. The earliest social networks of sorts were chat-driven. At least for me it started with Bulletin Board Services (BBS)—ones like LiveWire BBS, which was started by my friend Suchit Nanda at a time when Mumbai was Bombay. They even had meetups, and quite frankly some of the friendships forged then have stood the test of time, unlike friendships on Facebook and Twitter, which I have considered as echo chambers.
So before we circle back to Sam Altman and OpenAI, here’s going down memory lane with an album from a LiveWire BBS meet-up. You might recognise some stalwarts from India’s tech scene there, though most folks had jet black hair back then and were far thinner too.
So, from BBS to IRC to ICQ—look up these terms if you aren’t familiar with them, and you’ll realise how far net-based communication has come in a few short decades. India was the first Orkut country, but Google lost the throne, and Facebook took over, and it has seemed like the reign is permanent. But as with politics, tech is no different. Change will come. Whether it will come through Sam Altman and OpenAI is another matter.
For OpenAI, there are some clear positives behind such a move—I think the biggest are access to user data for free and improving user stickiness, both imperatives for the company that is losing money. OpenAI is also looking at acquisitions like Windsurf, an AI-assisted coding tool, perhaps for similar reasons. They need to own more of the application layer because that’s where most paying enterprise customers are.
What do you think? Do you think the world needs one more social network?
OpenAI has also released o3 and o4-mini that mimic the process of human reasoning to respond to complicated coding questions and visual tasks. As competition heats up, not just from the US but more importantly from China, expect more activity and announcements from OpenAI. We have four OpenAI headlines this week. Just saying.
Underscoring the fact that quality of data is key to success when leveraging AI, an IDC research report says that while Indian companies are gung-ho about using AI and planning major investments, the biggest worry is data quality and India surpasses other APAC nations when it comes to this fear.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content
