Fast Facts

• OpenAI is testing direct messaging in the ChatGPT Android app, codenamed "Calpico".
• Username and profile image support are being added, similar to mainstream social platforms.
• Sora 2, OpenAI’s AI video app, first introduced social features like feeds and messaging.
• Push notifications and user status updates are among the leaked features.
• This could signal OpenAI's move toward an AI-driven social network ecosystem.

From Chatbot to Social Butterfly

Imagine the world’s most famous AI assistant, once a solitary digital oracle, suddenly opening its doors to conversation - not just with you, but between you and millions of others. Recent leaks reveal OpenAI’s ChatGPT is preparing to launch direct messaging, a feature that could transform it from a personal chatbot into a full-fledged social platform. If rolled out, this move could shake up Silicon Valley’s established social giants and rewrite the rules of digital connection.

The Leak: A Social Layer Emerges

Sharp-eyed researchers spotted references to “Direct Messages” and “username” support in the ChatGPT Android beta app, echoing features you’d expect from Twitter (now X), Instagram, or WhatsApp. The codename “Calpico” hints at a new messaging system, with options to update user profiles, upload images, and receive notifications when friends - or even ChatGPT itself - send a message or join a chat room. This isn’t OpenAI’s first flirtation with social features: its Sora 2 app, focused on AI-generated videos, already includes feeds and messaging. But adding these capabilities to ChatGPT would bring them to a much broader audience.

Why Now? The Market and Security Stakes

The timing is no accident. As traditional social networks face declining trust and increasing regulation, AI companies see a chance to build the next-generation digital community. For OpenAI, integrating messaging into ChatGPT could help lock in users, gather valuable data, and compete with rivals like Google, Meta, and Anthropic, all racing to blend AI with social interaction. But this pivot also raises tough questions: How will OpenAI handle privacy, moderation, and abuse - issues that have plagued every social platform to date? Direct messaging, while convenient, could open new doors for scams, spam, and AI-powered manipulation unless robust safeguards are built in from the start.

What’s Next: The AI Social Network?

If OpenAI’s experiment succeeds, we could soon see a world where chatting with AI is as natural - and as social - as texting a friend. The lines between human and machine conversation will blur, and the battle for your digital attention will enter a new era. Whether this future is utopian or dystopian will depend not just on code, but on the values and vigilance of the people building and using these tools.

WIKICROOK

• Direct Messaging: Direct Messaging lets users send private, real-time messages to each other within an app or platform, ensuring conversations stay confidential.
• Profile Support: Profile support lets users create personal accounts with usernames and images, helping them identify themselves and connect securely with others online.
• Push Notifications: Push notifications are real-time alerts sent to your device by apps or websites, even when they're not open, to inform you about new activity.
• Beta App: A Beta App is a pre-release version of software shared with select users to identify bugs and test new features before public release.
• Social Feed: A social feed is a real-time stream of posts, updates, or media shared by users or AI, commonly seen on platforms like Facebook or Twitter.