OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has sparked renewed discussion on the authenticity of online content, saying, “I assume it’s all fake/bots, even though in this case I know Codex growth is really strong and the trend here is real.”

His candid observation highlights growing concerns over the prevalence of AI-generated posts across social media platforms and the challenges users face in distinguishing human activity from automated content.

OpenAI CEO questions online authenticity

In a post on X on 8 September 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared:

“I think there are a bunch of things going on: real people have picked up quirks of LLM-speak, the Extremely Online crowd drifts together in very correlated ways, the hype cycle has a very ‘it’s so over/we’re so back’ extremism, optimisation pressure from social platforms on juicing engagement and the related way that creator monetisation works, and a bunch more (including probably some bots). But the net effect is somehow AI Twitter/AI Reddit feels very fake in a way it really didn’t a year or two ago.”

Humans adopting LLM-speak

A key insight from Altman’s statement appears to be that humans themselves are increasingly adopting “LLM-speak”, consciously or subconsciously mimicking AI-generated language patterns.

This linguistic shift, combined with social media hype cycles and platform optimisation pressures, contributes to the perception that AI-focused spaces like Twitter and Reddit feel unusually “fake” compared to a year or two ago.

Sam Altman also referenced Codex, OpenAI’s AI system, for assisting with coding, acknowledging its genuine growth despite the online environment feeling artificial.

Netizens reacted to the OpenAI CEO’s post with a mix of agreement and concern.

Many X users recognise that blending human and AI-like language further blurs the lines between authentic and artificial engagement, posing challenges for users, platforms, and regulators alike.

“’Real people have picked up quirks of LLM-speak’, if by this you mean that we begin sounding like the AI companion we are speaking with, then yes, very likely to happen,” replied an X user on Altman’s post.

Another said, “Even the bots feel eerily human now. It’s wild how quickly ‘llm-speak’ is leaking into real convos—almost like everyone’s slowly becoming an AI echo. Codex might just be the new native language.”

Sam Altman’s reflections shed light on a growing issue in the digital world: AI is not only generating content but also reshaping human communication patterns online.