By Theo Farrant &AP
Release date
OpenAI abruptly terminates social media video generation app Sorawent viral last fall as a hub for creating and sharing short-form videos generated by artificial intelligence, but it also sparked widespread concern in Hollywood and beyond.
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In a recent social media post on Tuesday, March 25, OpenAI said it was “saying goodbye to the Sora app” and would soon provide details on how users can save content they create on the platform.
“What you did with Sora was important, and we know this news is disappointing,” he added.
First released in late 2024, Sora quickly became the internet’s playground, taking full advantage of the tool to generate a wave of surreal and often absurd videos using the likenesses of real people. They’ve churned out everything from videos of Michael Jackson stealing a bucket of KFC chicken to videos of Stephen Hawking climbing up and down skateboard ramps.
Start OpenAI Sora as a standalone app It was founded in September 2025 with the aim of gaining attention and potentially advertising revenue from short-form video platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook.
But a growing number of advocacy groups, academics and experts have raised concerns about the dangers of having people create AI videos about almost anything they can type into a prompt, leading to a proliferation of non-consensual images and realistic deepfakes in a sea of less harmful material. ”AI slop”.
OpenAI later announced a policy to restrict AI-generated content featuring celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mister Rogers, following backlash from families and actors’ unions.
The video generator’s closure comes just three months after OpenAI and The Walt Disney Company signed an agreement. 3 year contract This allows Sora users to create videos using over 200 licensed Disney characters, including characters from Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars.
Disney said in a statement Tuesday that it respects “OpenAI’s decision to exit the video generation business and shift its priorities elsewhere.”
“We are grateful for the constructive collaboration between our teams and what we have learned, and we will continue to engage with our AI platform to find new ways to meet fans where they are, while responsibly embracing new technologies that respect intellectual property and creator rights,” the statement said.
According to OpenAI, ChatGPT’s image generation capabilities are not affected by Sora’s closure.
