Was Sora’s computing demand that high for OpenAI to decide to shut it down? There’s more than what meets the eye.
It was merely a couple of months ago that OpenAI and Disney struck a three-year deal. The overall project centered on the use of Sora to create vertical video content, hinging on the AI startup’s access to over 250 Disney character licenses.
However, now that OpenAI is roping in Sora, just six months after it was made available to the public, Disney is also exiting the deal. And it wasn’t a small deal at that- while the AI organization was planning on maintaining access to hundreds of beloved characters, Disney was investing $1 billion to amplify this.
The truth is- Sora is a TikTok-like social feed. But it’s all AI.
So, there are two ways to keep users occupied on the platform: you create your own realistic deepfakes, or you use someone (or something) else’s. More users are, very rarely, willing to do the first.
Sora, with its impressive video generation qualities, witnessed an upheaval of deepfake videos that focused on real public figures or Disney characters. It was fun while it lasted. But public figures don’t hold the option to explicitly opt-in to being at the center of this- that’s where the problems begin. And entertainment ends up breaching personal boundaries.
Even with all the fantasy world characters, there wasn’t any explicit nod by Disney. Most thought OpenAI could end up in muddy waters with Disney, but obviously, that didn’t happen.
But Sora’s longevity was always in question.
AI slop has become ‘the’ reason for content fatigue- why would users specifically tap into an app that feeds them more of it?
Instagram reels or YouTube Shorts, and even TikTok- the OG vertical video feeds remain addictive because of the inherent “human” element they still entail. Not just the creators, even the actors are unapologetically human (but that’s also changing steadily).
That’s what Sora lacked. Because Sora 2, the video and audio generation tool, remains, it’s the AI-first social feed that’s shutting down. One doesn’t have to think too hard to gauge the reason- it’s a liability for OpenAI, an institution that’s losing money faster than it can count.
