OpenAI Pauses Sora Sign-Ups Due to High Demand

OpenAI has temporarily paused sign-ups for its much-anticipated Sora video tool due to overwhelming demand. The company made the tool, which allows users to generate short, high-quality videos from written text prompts, publicly available at 10 a.m. PT on Monday to those with a paid ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscription. However, after experiencing a surge in traffic, OpenAI halted new account creations to manage the influx of users.

“We’re currently experiencing heavy traffic and have temporarily disabled Sora account creation,” reads a message on Sora.com. “If you’ve never logged into Sora before, please check back again soon.” While OpenAI has not disclosed how many users were able to access the tool or when sign-ups will resume, many users who successfully created accounts are already sharing their video creations on social media.

Sora was first introduced by OpenAI in February, but it was initially available only to a select group of artists, designers, and filmmakers. These early users demonstrated the tool’s ability to create surreal and visually stunning videos, which sparked much excitement. Now, with the broader public rollout of Sora Turbo, any ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscriber can generate videos, though the tool is not yet available in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the European Economic Area, which includes EU member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

Sora is designed to generate videos up to 1080p resolution, with options for vertical, square, or wide-screen aspect ratios. The videos can be up to 20 seconds long and can be created using text prompts or user-uploaded visual assets. The tool showcases a wide variety of sample videos, from realistic depictions of bustling streets and snowy landscapes to more surreal scenes such as a mouth full of tiny flowers or a rocket launching with colorful streamers instead of flames. On the Sora website, OpenAI has shared mind-bending examples of prompts, including transforming a library into a spaceship or replacing a jungle with a lunar landscape.

The excitement surrounding Sora’s public launch comes on the heels of a controversy earlier this year. A group of artists who had been given early access to Sora leaked the tool to the public, accusing OpenAI of exploiting their unpaid or underpaid labor to “art wash” its image. These artists expressed concerns that their work was being used to train AI datasets without proper credit or compensation. The leak, which was organized by a group called “PR Puppets,” prompted OpenAI to temporarily shut down Sora. In response, OpenAI emphasized that participation in the alpha testing of Sora was voluntary, and that hundreds of artists had helped shape the tool’s development by providing feedback. The company also noted that there was no obligation for artists to contribute to the tool’s development or to provide feedback.

Despite the official response, tensions between OpenAI and some members of the artistic community have continued. In the wake of the leak, several artists involved published essays criticizing OpenAI’s practices and the broader role of AI in the creative industry. Federico Bomba, an art director who contributed to the essays, called for a “meaningful reinvestment of the wealth these companies generate” to support the global artistic community. Bomba argued that the artistic community should expect more than “token microgrants or hollow gestures” from AI companies like OpenAI. Instead, he proposed that companies should invest millions of dollars directly into empowering artists to innovate and push boundaries.

The ongoing debate highlights the broader ethical concerns surrounding AI-generated art, particularly in relation to intellectual property and compensation for creators. Artists are questioning whether AI tools like Sora are fair to the creators whose work is used to train these models. While OpenAI has hosted residencies for artists, such as its collaboration with artist Alexander Reben, who used Sora-generated imagery to create 3D models and sculptures, these efforts have not alleviated all concerns. Many artists feel that AI companies are profiting from their work without providing adequate compensation or recognition.

As the Sora tool becomes available to the wider public, users will need to pay for a ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscription to access it. The ChatGPT Plus plan costs $20 per month and allows users to generate up to 50 Sora videos per month at 480p resolution. Users on the ChatGPT Pro plan, which costs $200 per month, can generate significantly more videos, with higher resolutions and longer durations. OpenAI has indicated that it plans to introduce tailored pricing for different types of users in the future, with details expected early next year.

In its official blog post, OpenAI emphasized that the rollout of its video generation technology is intended to give society time to explore its potential and develop norms and safeguards to ensure it is used responsibly. The company acknowledges that the use of such technology raises important questions about its impact on creativity, the economy, and society at large. As the tool becomes more widely accessible, OpenAI hopes to foster a broader conversation about how video generation tools should be integrated into creative processes and what ethical considerations should guide their development and use.

For now, potential users of Sora will have to wait as OpenAI works to manage the surging demand for access. The public launch of Sora marks a significant milestone in the development of AI-powered video generation tools, and it will be interesting to see how the tool evolves and how its use impacts the broader landscape of digital content creation. While many are excited to explore the creative possibilities offered by Sora, the tool’s release also raises important questions about the intersection of AI, art, and intellectual property that will continue to spark debate for years to come.