Foto cnbc.com.
Not much is known about the functionality so far: no one has seen the synchronization interface yet, and the official information looks very discreet. However, the updated privacy policy document clearly describes the purpose of the function – “search for friends”. According to the developers, participation in synchronization is voluntary, but there is an important nuance.
Voluntary-coercive friendship
Even if you haven’t personally activated this option or shared your address book, your number can still be processed if it’s stored in the contact list of someone you know who decides to upload it to ChatGPT. OpenAI explicitly states that if your number is in someone else’s phonebook and that person downloads it, the system will receive your number for processing.
If the number found matches an existing ChatGPT account, the user will be prompted to subscribe to that person, and the other party will receive a notification with the option to subscribe in return, Anti-malware writes.
This mechanism already looks more like the basis of a social network than an artificial intelligence tool for dialog.
The first step towards a social network from OpenAI
This doesn’t seem like a coincidence – there have been rumors previously that OpenAI is planning to develop its own social platform, although there have been no notable large-scale launches so far. The only recent application is Sora, focused on video generation, but it operates independently of ChatGPT and is seen more as an experimental project.
Contact synchronization will also make it easier to work with ChatGPT’s existing features. For example, group chats where up to 20 people can simultaneously discuss topics or work with AI. A tool to search for acquaintances logically fits into the logic of invitations to such conversations.
OpenAI says it doesn’t store full phonebook records – no names or email addresses – just hashed phone numbers. Users will also be able to disable access to contacts through their device’s system settings.
