OpenAI to Shut Down Sora App

OpenAI has announced that it will be discontinuing its social media app, Sora. This platform, which became well-known last fall for allowing users to share short videos created by artificial intelligence, has raised concerns in Hollywood and beyond.

In a brief social media post on Tuesday, OpenAI stated it was “saying goodbye to the Sora app” and promised to provide details soon on how users can preserve their existing content from the app.

“What you accomplished with Sora mattered. I understand this news might be disappointing,” a spokesperson indicated.

The company, known for developing ChatGPT, launched Sora in September as a strategy to gain attention and possibly attract advertising revenue, similar to other short-form video platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Meta’s offerings.

However, a rising number of advocacy groups, academics, and specialists have voiced worries about the risks associated with people generating AI videos on virtually any topic. This has led to the potential spread of unauthorized images and realistic deepfakes, overshadowed by a plethora of benign “AI slop.”

OpenAI found itself needing to limit AI-generated content featuring celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mister Rogers performing outrageous acts, following protests from unions and family members.

Disney, which had engaged in a partnership with OpenAI last year, allowing its characters to be featured in Sora, remarked on Tuesday that it respects “OpenAI’s choice to step away from the video generation market and realign its focus elsewhere.”

“We appreciate the cooperative efforts between our teams and the knowledge gained. We will continue to work with our AI platform to discover innovative ways to connect with fans while responsibly embracing new technologies that honor the rights of intellectual property and creators,” Disney added in its statement.