OpenAI has shut down Sora, its artificial intelligence video-generation app, in less than two years after its launch. The ChatGPT-maker also revealed it will wind down its $1 billion partnership with Disney.
OpenAI told the BBC on Sunday that it has discontinued Sora so that it can focus on other developments such as robotics “that will help people solve real-world, physical tasks.” A spokesperson for The Walt Disney Company said “we respect OpenAI’s decision to exit the video generation business and to shift its priorities elsewhere.” A Disney spokesperson said the company will engage with other AI platforms to find ways to responsibly use the technology without infringing on intellectual property rights.
According to a Reuters report, this move is part of efforts by OpenAI to focus its business on potentially more lucrative areas such as coding tools and corporate customers.
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The deal between OpenAI and Disney was announced three months ago. As part of the three-year deal, Disney said it would invest $1 billion in OpenAI and lend more than 200 of its iconic characters to be used in short, AI-generated videos. However, no transaction took place between the companies, and no money changed hands, according to people familiar with the matter.
The OpenAI-Disney deal saw significant backlash from creative industries, over copyright issues and other implications related to the use of AI in creative fields. A union representing workers in the creative industries says there is “real concern” among its members, about the deal that would bring Disney characters to ChatGPT and Sora.
“Everyone in the entertainment industry, especially all the creative talent, are incredibly worried about what the implications are,” Sag-Aftra executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland had said. “There’s real concern because nobody wants to see human creativity given away to AI models,” he told BBC News.
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OpenAI executives have been debating Sora’s fate for a while. Running the AI video app required significant computational resources, and reportedly left other teams with less firepower. OpenAI employees on the Sora team were, however, still surprised when they were informed of the changes Tuesday morning.
“We’re saying goodbye to Sora … we know this news is disappointing,” the Sora team said in a post on X, adding that timelines for the app and API, as well as details on preserving user work, would be shared later.
According to Reuters, OpenAI executives are now focusing on other research areas, including robotics and building artificial general intelligence. The company is planning to roll out more of its capabilities into a single super app. To reflect the shift, Fidji Simo’s title was changed from CEO of applications to CEO of AGI deployment.