OpenAI’s new video AI, Sora, quickly gained attention after its announcement. It is said to create short video clips from brief text prompts. OpenAI claims it works so well that they even made and released a short film using Sora. However, since the announcement, there have been few major updates about Sora. This is because the video AI is only available to a select group of users. Behind the scenes, this limited access has caused frustration among those involved. According to reports, some users released Sora themselves.
The leaked AI, named “PR Puppet Sora,” was temporarily available on the Hugging Face platform. Users could create their own videos with a resolution of 1080p and a length of ten seconds. The API used in the user interface linked to OpenAI, making the leak credible. All videos had OpenAI’s watermark. After about three hours and numerous videos created with Sora, the AI was taken offline. The leakers claimed OpenAI was responsible for this action.
A group of artists calling themselves “PR-Puppets” stated on Hugging Face, “We gained access to Sora and were promised to be early testers, red-teamers, and creative partners. However, we believe we are only being used for ‘art washing’ to present Sora as a useful tool for artists.” They expressed dissatisfaction with being used for marketing rather than genuine creative collaboration.
Many artists had access to Sora to provide feedback and report issues, but this work was unpaid. OpenAI, valued at $150 billion, only selected a few artists through a competition to have their AI works evaluated and possibly published by the company. Artists could only post their works if OpenAI approved them. Instead of fostering creativity and criticism, OpenAI seemed more interested in PR and advertising for Sora. By selecting only the best clips, OpenAI might give a false impression of Sora’s capabilities.
OpenAI has responded to the leak but did not confirm it. The company emphasized that participation in the Sora program is voluntary and does not require feedback. They also mentioned supporting artists through events and other programs.
Overall, the situation highlights tensions between artists and OpenAI regarding the use of AI in creative fields. While Sora shows potential, the approach to involving artists has raised concerns about transparency and fair collaboration. The future of Sora and its impact on the creative industry remains to be seen.