OpenAI will discontinue Sora, its controversial AI video generation app. The company confirmed the decision on social media, but provided limited details on the reasons behind the shutdown.
"We're saying goodbye to Sora," OpenAI's post on X read. "To everyone who created with Sora, shared it, and built community around it, thank you.
"We'll share more soon, including timelines for the app and API and details on preserving your work."
The app enabled users to generate short videos featuring themselves or others in virtually any scenario. It surged to the top of mobile download charts upon its release last year, before growth began to slow in the months that followed.
The app’s debut drew criticism from the entertainment industry, which raised concerns over potential intellectual property violations.
Several actors and families of deceased public figures said their identities were used without consent.
OpenAI pledged to introduce safeguards to prevent misuse of Sora, but concerns persisted across the industry as questions mounted over its training data and whether proper permissions had been obtained.
Concerns over deepfakes also intensified, and although OpenAI added watermarks to Sora-generated videos, tools quickly emerged to remove them.
A deal was previously reached with Disney to allow limited use of its intellectual property on Sora, but it remains unclear what, if anything, will materialise as OpenAI phases out the app.
