OpenAI weighs biometric authentication to address bot activity

The social network being developed by OpenAI may rely on biometric data to address the bot problem.

OpenAI is considering the use of biometric verification, including eye scanning, as part of its efforts to build its own social platform, Forbes reports. The approach is intended to help tackle bots and “obliterate the bot problem that has made an endless and toxic sump of the platform formerly known as Twitter.”

“Sources familiar with the project told Forbes that the social network, which is still in the very early stages of development, has been envisioned as a real-humans-only platform, a potential selling point for the AI giant which is looking to capitalize on its viral ChatGPT and Sora apps,” the outlet said.

If launched, however, the platform would face competition from established players such as X, Instagram, and TikTok.

Developers have reportedly explored requiring users to provide “proof of personhood” using Apple’s Face ID or the World Orb, an iris-scanning device. World Orb is owned by Tools for Humanity, a company founded and currently led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The project’s team reportedly consists of around 10 people.

“Privacy advocates have warned about the risks of identity verification like World’s, as iris scans are unchangeable and could cause all manner of havoc in the wrong hands,” Forbes noted.

Social platforms have long been flooded with bots, but the issue is particularly acute on X (formerly Twitter).

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been an active user of X since 2008 and has frequently criticized the scale of bot activity on the platform. In the autumn of 2025, he referenced the dead internet theory, saying that there are “indeed many AI-controlled accounts” on X.

There is currently no information on when OpenAI’s social network might launch.