OpenAI releases text-to-video model, Sora, for ChatGPT Plus and Pro users  

According to the Microsoft-backed AI company, access to Sora is available from Monday in all regions where ChatGPT works with the exception of the European Union, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Sora broadens the scope of OpenAI’s multimodal artificial intelligence technologies, setting its sights on competitors like Meta, Alphabet’s Google, and Stability AI’s Stable Video Diffusion.

While Sora is free for current ChatGPT Plus and Pro users, OpenAI plans to introduce tailored pricing for various user categories early next year.

The AI model, first introduced in February 2023 during a research preview phase, was initially accessible only to safety testers.

In a Monday post on X, OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, provided further details on Sora, describing it as an exciting product.

“One of the most exciting things to me about this product is how easy it is to co-create with others; it feels like an interesting new thing! 

“With an OpenAI plus account, you get 50 generations per month. with a pro account, you get 500 fast generations (or fewer at high resolution) and unlimited in a slower generation mode,” he said. 

OpenAI has emphasized its commitment to preventing misuse of its AI technologies. Strict safeguards have been implemented to block the creation or upload of harmful content, including child sexual abuse materials and deepfake videos.

“We’re introducing our video generation technology now to give society time to explore its possibilities and co-develop norms and safeguards that ensure it’s used responsibly as the field advances.  

“All Sora-generated videos come with C2PA⁠(opens in a new window) metadata, which will identify a video as coming from Sora to provide transparency, and can be used to verify origin.  

“While imperfect, we’ve added safeguards like visible watermarks by default, and built an internal search tool that uses technical attributes of generations2 to help verify if content came from Sora,” it added. 

More insights: Since igniting the generative AI trend with ChatGPT in late 2022, OpenAI has steadily advanced its offerings.

By integrating Sora into its ecosystem, the Microsoft-backed firm is positioning itself as a leader in creative AI tools, competing directly with established players in the burgeoning text-to-video market.