OpenAI suspends access to ‘Sora AI’ video tool, here's why

OpenAI

ChatGPT maker OpenAI's unreleased ‘Sora AI’ video generation tool was leaked by a group of beta testers last week, prompting the company to immediately suspend all user access to the platform. The artificial intelligence company had granted early access to Sora to some 300 visual artists and filmmakers to “gain feedback” on the technology.

However, artists, identifying themselves as "Sora PR Puppets," created a public interface that allowed early free access to Sora to test the new AI video generator.

‘SoraAI’ leaked before official release

In an open letter published on Hugging Face, a group of about 20 artists launched a scathing critique of OpenAI's early access program. Further, the group wrote a fiery letter titled "DEAR CORPORATE AI OVERLORDS. Further, it mentioned, “Hundreds of artists provide unpaid labor through bug testing, feedback, and experimental work for the program for a $150B valued company.”

Multiple reports suggest the artists were particularly frustrated with OpenAI's content approval requirements, which mandate that every generated video on ‘Sora AI’ must be approved by the OpenAI team before sharing. This restriction fueled their protest. The leaked Sora interface allowed users to generate 10-second videos up to 1080p resolution, with OpenAI's distinctive visual watermark.

After the leak, OpenAI has stopped allowing all participants access to the Sora, which the company had hinted at launching earlier this year. After OpenAI paused access to Sora, the artist group encouraged anyone who shares their views to sign the open letter. Subsequently, it has received close to 100 signatures.