OpenAI’s Sora Video Model & iOS App Now Available
▼ Summary
– OpenAI launched Sora, its first non-ChatGPT consumer app and social product, as an invite-only iOS app in the US and Canada.
– The app focuses on creation-first social experiences with features like video remixing, collaboration, and “cameos” that place users in AI-generated scenes.
– Sora uses OpenAI’s language models to power a customizable feed that users control through conversational commands rather than traditional settings.
– It operates on the Sora 2 model for generating videos with synchronized audio and maintains a free model with generation limits based on compute capacity.
– OpenAI designed Sora to maximize active creation over passive consumption and plans to monetize through paid extra generations rather than ads or revenue sharing.
OpenAI has officially launched its new Sora iOS app, initiating an invite-only rollout for users in the United States and Canada. This marks the company’s first consumer-facing application outside of ChatGPT and introduces a social platform built around creative video generation. The app is powered by the recently released Sora 2 model, which produces video content complete with synchronized audio.
Sora is designed as a creation-first social experience, focusing on collaborative and interactive features rather than functioning as a traditional public broadcasting service. It integrates social tools that allow users to remix videos and work together with friends directly within the application.
A standout feature is the custom feed, which is driven by OpenAI’s language models. This recommender system responds to natural language instructions, letting users personalize their content stream through simple conversational commands instead of navigating complex settings menus. By default, the feed emphasizes posts from individuals the user follows or regularly interacts with. According to the Sora development team, the app is intentionally structured to maximize creation over consumption, deliberately avoiding design choices that would extend time spent passively scrolling.
Central to the Sora experience are “cameos,” a feature enabling users to insert themselves or their friends into AI-generated scenes. This requires a brief, one-time video and audio capture inside the app. OpenAI emphasizes that individuals featured in cameos retain control over their likeness, with the ability to revoke access or delete any video where their image appears.
Beyond cameos and feed browsing, Sora provides tools for generating original videos from text prompts and remixing content created by other users. The underlying Sora 2 model supports multi-shot instructions, preserves world consistency across different scenes, and produces synchronized dialogue and sound effects. ChatGPT Pro subscribers can currently access an experimental higher-tier version, Sora 2 Pro, via sora.com, with integration into the mobile app expected in the future. The original Sora 1 Turbo model remains accessible, and all existing user-generated content is preserved in personal libraries.
For the time being, OpenAI intends to offer Sora free of charge, though generation limits will be influenced by available computing resources. The company’s monetization approach involves charging users for additional generations when demand exceeds supply. There are no current plans to incorporate advertising or implement a revenue-sharing program for creators.
Access to the Sora app is currently restricted to an invite-only model, with registration available through the iOS App Store where the listing is already active. OpenAI adopted this exclusive approach to help ensure that new users join the platform alongside friends already using it. Feedback gathered during development highlighted that the cameo feature is a core component of the experience, making pre-existing social connections important for engagement.
For marketers and creators, Sora represents a fresh channel for distributing short, AI-generated video content, underscoring OpenAI’s ongoing commitment to developing consumer-focused creative tools. The platform’s future growth will likely depend on factors such as accessibility, practical use cases, and how effectively the feed inspires active participation rather than passive consumption.
(Source: Search Engine Journal)
