OpenAI’s Sora, the Text-to-Video Tool That Caught Hollywood Off Guard, Rolls Out to Public

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As a seasoned gamer and tech enthusiast with a decade-long experience in the digital arts industry, I find myself both intrigued and apprehensive about the recent development of Sora, OpenAI’s text-to-video generator. Having witnessed the rapid evolution of AI and its potential applications, I can’t help but wonder where this technology will take us next.

OpenAI has released Sora, its buzzy generative AI tool capable of creating hyper-realist videos.

On Monday, OpenAI announced that their text-to-video generator, named Sora, is now accessible to the general public. However, it’s important to note that in order to utilize this service, one must first create an account. Unfortunately, new sign-ups have been temporarily halted due to a high volume of traffic.

The unveiling of this tool coincides with the entertainment industry facing challenges as they adapt to technology that could significantly reduce production costs. While mainstream acceptance in Hollywood has been gradual, it’s been persistent, such as Lionsgate partnering with Runway in September, a New York-based AI startup, to train a new generative AI model on their content for use in streamlining behind-the-scenes tasks. This move was then followed by James Cameron joining the board of directors at Stability AI, the creators of Stable Diffusion – an AI model with a focus on images and videos that’s attracting attention in Hollywood, particularly within the visual effects sector – marking a significant milestone for the company.

According to the blog post, you can produce videos with resolutions up to 1080p, lasting for about 20 seconds, in either widescreen, vertical, or square formats. Users have the option to add their own resources to customize, combine, and overlay videos, as well as create entirely new content using a text prompt.

OpenAI has announced that they’ll add this new feature to current ChatGPT Plus and Pro plans without charging extra. Subscribers will now have the ability to produce up to 50 videos in 480p quality, or fewer videos at a higher resolution, under their subscription plan.

Recently, OpenAI announced that ChatGPT currently has over 200 million weekly active users. They’re planning to launch ChatGPT Pro, a premium subscription service priced at $200 per month, offering unrestricted access to OpenAI models like o1 and GPT-4o, as well as an Advanced Voice mode. The existing Plus tier, costing $20 monthly, will still be available, providing early access to new features.

Initially, Sora was confined to a group consisting of safety testers focusing on issues regarding misinformation and bias, as well as visual artists, designers, and filmmakers offering constructive criticism for enhancements.

A handful of artists, who were testing Sora in November, covertly shared access to the tool as a form of protest against the company’s perceived mistreatment, labeling them as “unpaid bug testers” and “public relations puppets.” In an open declaration, they expressed their frustration, stating that numerous artists are providing free labor through bug testing, feedback, and experimental work for a corporation valued at $150 billion.

Despite existing legal and workforce safeguards, text-to-video technologies are anticipated to find significant uses within sectors such as visual effects and animation. In fact, some professionals in these industries have already integrated this technology into their day-to-day tasks.

A research conducted on 300 Hollywood leaders, published recently, found that around 75% of the participants stated that AI tools have led to job losses, reductions or consolidations within their organizations. Over the next three years, it predicts that approximately 204,000 jobs could be negatively impacted. Those working in roles such as sound engineering, voice acting, concept art and visual effects were identified as being at high risk.

OpenAI has started keeping secret the information about the data sources utilized in training its systems. There have been lawsuits filed by creators, writers, and publishers against the company led by Sam Altman, alleging that they unlawfully obtained their work without permission or payment. If courts rule against fair use – a legal principle permitting the utilization of copyrighted materials without a license – it could carry significant consequences for AI’s foremost entity.

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2024-12-09 22:54