OpenAI has announced it is shutting down its video generation platform Sora after just six months, with CEO Sam Altman reportedly telling staff the company is winding down all of its video products.
“We’re saying goodbye to the Sora app,” Sora posted to X on Tuesday. “We know this news is disappointing. We’ll share more soon, including timelines for the app and API and details on preserving your work.”
Sora was released in September to a buzzy reception as the ChatGPT maker sought to make inroads on short-form video content popular across TikTok and Meta’s Instagram.
However, the app also faced backlash over concerns that it would further the proliferation of realistic deepfakes. OpenAI cracked down on some deepfakes generated by its platform after pressure from celebrities.
Products using video models on the chopping block
Altman told staff the company was winding down products that used video models, including the developer version of Sora and the app’s video functionality in its generative AI chatbot ChatGPT, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
Altman also said the Sora team will shift its focus to longer-term bets such as robotics, amid a company-wide redirect to concentrate on productivity tools for enterprises and individual users.
Related: OpenAI wins defense contract hours after government ditches Anthropic
OpenAI launched Sora last year as a text-to-video generator, and it racked up 1 million downloads in just five days. Data analytics firm Sensor Tower estimates that last month, Sora was downloaded around 600,000 times.
Disney deal not moving forward
In December, the Walt Disney Co. signed a three-year licensing agreement to become Sora’s first major content partner, giving users access to more than 200 characters from franchises including Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars.
A Disney spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal that the deal, which included a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI, will not move forward.
Cointelegraph contacted OpenAI and Disney for comment.
The AI market has been the subject of significant hype. It’s projected to be worth more than $4.8 trillion by 2033, affect 40% of jobs and emerge as a dominant frontier technology.
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