OpenAI on Tuesday unveiled Sora 2, its most advanced video generation model to date, along with a TikTok-style social app that lets users insert themselves into AI-created scenes through a new feature called “cameos.” The company behind ChatGPT described Sora 2 as a significant leap in AI’s ability to create realistic videos. The system can now produce synchronized dialogue, sound effects, and physically accurate motion, according to OpenAI. “Sora 2 can achieve feats that were extremely difficult or even impossible for earlier video generation models,” the company said, highlighting examples like capturing Olympic gymnastics routines or basketball moves. Unlike previous systems that often “morphed objects and distorted reality” to meet text prompts, Sora 2 adheres more closely to real-world physics. Replacing last year’s Sora, the new model represents the latest development in the ongoing AI arms race that started with ChatGPT’s debut in 2022. OpenAI faces stiff competition in video generation from Google, Runway AI, and Midjourney, all of which provide tools to produce short clips in seconds capabilities that are both celebrated and feared as potential substitutes for human-created content. Perhaps more notable than Sora 2 itself is the standalone social app, Sora, which allows users to appear in AI-generated videos with high-fidelity recreation of both appearance and voice. OpenAI explained, “We believe a social app built around the ‘cameos’ feature is the best way to experience the magic of Sora 2.” The app is currently available by invitation only in the United States and Canada. The Sora 2 video generator will initially be free with “generous limits,” though usage will be constrained by the shortage of computing power needed for video generation. On the app, users can share their creations in a feed similar to TikTok or Instagram Reels. Meta, which owns Instagram, last week added its own AI video feed called “Vibes” to encourage users to experiment with image generation on its Meta AI app. The rapid-fire release of increasingly powerful AI tools comes amid growing concerns about AI-generated content proliferation and the environmental toll of the massive computing power required to create it. OpenAI also acknowledged the ongoing debate about social media’s impact on mental health including worries about “doomscrolling, addiction, and isolation” and said it is implementing safeguards like user wellbeing checks and content controls.
OpenAI Unveils Sora 2, a TikTok-Style App
