OpenAI has expanded its artificial intelligence offerings by introducing Sora, a powerful text-to-video model now accessible to ChatGPT Plus and Pro users. The rollout, which began Monday, excludes regions such as the European Union, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as per the Microsoft-backed company.
This move signals a leap in OpenAI’s multimodal AI capabilities, positioning it against competitors like Meta, Google, and Stability AI’s Stable Video Diffusion. While current ChatGPT Plus and Pro users can utilize Sora at no additional cost, OpenAI plans to introduce tiered pricing models in 2024 to cater to various user categories.
Initially launched in February 2023 as a research preview for safety testers, Sora has been rebranded as Sora Turbo. The updated model is now available to paying ChatGPT users, offering advanced tools to enhance content creation. Sora allows users to produce 20-second videos in 1080p resolution, with customizable formats, including widescreen, vertical, and square. Users can generate entirely new videos from text prompts or remix their own assets for unique results.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman described Sora as a collaborative innovation in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “One of the most exciting things to me about this product is how easy it is to co-create with others; it feels like an interesting new thing!” Altman noted that Plus users receive 50 video generations per month, while Pro users gain access to 500 fast generations (or fewer at high resolutions) and unlimited slower-mode generations.
OpenAI underscored its commitment to preventing misuse of its technology. Strict safeguards are in place to block harmful content, including child exploitation materials and deepfake videos. For now, video uploads involving real individuals are restricted, with future expansions contingent on the refinement of deepfake mitigation strategies.
To enhance transparency, all Sora-generated videos include C2PA metadata, identifying their origin. OpenAI has also implemented visible watermarks by default and developed an internal search tool to verify Sora-generated content. “We’re introducing our video generation technology now to give society time to explore its possibilities and co-develop norms and safeguards that ensure it’s used responsibly as the field advances,” the company stated.
Although Sora Turbo is significantly faster than its research preview, OpenAI continues to work on making the technology more accessible and affordable for a wider audience.