OpenAI Launches Text-To-Video Generation Tool Sora, Pauses Sign-Up Due To Surge In Demand

OpenAI did not provide details on how many individuals successfully created accounts on Monday or offer a timeline for when account creation will be available again.

Sora is a tool that generates short, high-quality videos from text prompts, allowing users to incorporate their own visual assets for remixing and blending.

Source : OpenAI

OpenAI launched a text-to-video generation tool, Sora, recently, and it soon had to pause the creation of new accounts due to a surge in traffic. At around 11:30 pm  on Monday, Sora went live for the people who paid for ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscription however, due to strong demand, the service had to be paused. A message on Sora read, “We’re currently experiencing heavy traffic and have temporarily disabled Sora account creation. If you've never logged into Sora before, please check back again soon.”

OpenAI did not provide details on how many individuals successfully created accounts on Monday or offer a timeline for when account creation will be available again. However, users who managed to gain access have started sharing their creations on social media platforms.

What Is Sora By OpenAI?

Sora is a tool that generates short, high-quality videos from text prompts, allowing users to incorporate their own visual assets for remixing and blending. Initially introduced by OpenAI in February, Sora was limited to a select group of artists, designers, and filmmakers who showcased its surreal capabilities in March.

Now, the updated version, Sora Turbo, is accessible to ChatGPT users globally—except for those in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the European Economic Area, which includes EU member states along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, participants in the EU's single market.

OpenAI posted on X, “Our holiday gift to you is here: Sora is here. We hope that this early version of Sora will help people explore new forms of creativity.”

Our holiday gift to you: Sora is here. https://t.co/UhdmYuGHtT pic.twitter.com/ljoruQsfO0

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) December 9, 2024

Sora Turbo allows users to create videos with resolutions up to 1080p, lasting up to 20 seconds, and in various aspect ratios, including wide-screen, vertical, or square formats. The platform showcases a diverse range of sample videos, spanning from realistic scenes like a busy city street or a snowy expanse to imaginative creations. Examples include a mouth filled with miniature flowers or a rocket launching with vibrant streamers replacing flames, all set against a whimsical, cartoon-like ocean backdrop.

Sora's Release Comes On The Heels Of A Leak

The release of Sora has been highly anticipated, coming shortly after a controversy involving a group of artists who were granted early access to the tool. Less than two weeks ago, these artists leaked Sora to highlight their grievances, accusing OpenAI of leveraging their unpaid or underpaid efforts to enhance its public image.

They argued this was an attempt to distract from broader concerns about artists' work being used to train AI datasets without proper acknowledgment or compensation. OpenAI responded by shutting down Sora just hours after the leak.

Artists in an open letter to the company wrote, “Artists are not your unpaid R&D. We are not your free bug testers, PR puppets, training data, validation tokens.”

OpenAI spokesperson responded by saying, “Hundreds of artists in our alpha have shaped Sora’s development, helping prioritize new features and safeguards. Participation is voluntary, with no obligation to provide feedback or use the tool.”