OpenAI CEO Sam Altman admits TikTok addiction
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated he became engrossed in TikTok while researching short-form video platforms. He eventually deleted the app after spending approximately three hours on it one Saturday.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has revealed his struggle with TikTok addiction, stemming from research into short-form video platform mechanics. He admitted to spending nearly three hours on the app in a single Saturday afternoon, leading him to delete it.
Altman shared during the Relentless podcast that his initial intention was to use TikTok for about ten minutes before bed to understand its user experience. However, the usage time gradually increased. He found the app's engaging nature difficult to resist, comparing the immediate satisfaction of scrolling to addictive behavior.
This disclosure comes as OpenAI had previously ventured into developing its own social application, Sora, which focused on AI-generated video content. The project was discontinued in March, with the company redirecting resources towards its core AI model development, citing the significant computational power required for video generation.
Altman is also collaborating with former Apple design chief Jony Ive on new AI hardware. He has expressed a desire for these devices to reduce smartphone distractions rather than further compete for user attention. This aligns with OpenAI's stated goal for products like ChatGPT: to help users efficiently complete tasks, not to maximize engagement time by keeping them on the platform.