FILE — The OpenAI logo is shown on a cellphone beside an image generated by DALL·E, Dec. 8, 2023.
SAN FRANCISCO — OpenAI is discontinuing Sora, its short-form social video app that went viral last fall for letting users create AI-generated clips and triggered widespread worries about deepfakes and nonconsensual imagery.
The company posted a brief message on social media saying it was “saying goodbye to the Sora app” and that it would provide information soon about how users can preserve content they made. “What you made with Sora mattered, and we know this news is disappointing,” the post said.
Launched in September, Sora was OpenAI’s bid to tap into the huge audience and advertising potential around short videos popularized by TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. But the app quickly drew criticism from advocacy groups, academics and experts who warned that easy-to-use video generation could flood the internet with realistic deepfakes, nonconsensual images and a lot of low-quality or misleading AI-created material.
OpenAI responded to mounting backlash by restricting AI-generated depictions of public figures after complaints from estates and performing arts unions over videos showing people such as Michael Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mister Rogers in fabricated scenarios.
Disney, which had a deal with OpenAI to bring its characters to Sora, said it respects OpenAI’s decision to exit the video-generation business and focus elsewhere. The company said it valued the collaboration and will continue working with AI platforms to find responsible ways to reach fans while protecting intellectual property and creators’ rights.