OpenAI has shut down its artificial intelligence (AI) video-generation app Sora less than two years after its launch made headlines for creating realistic clips based on simple prompts.
At the same time, OpenAI will also wind down its content partnership with entertainment giant Disney, the BBC understands.
OpenAI told the BBC on Wednesday that it discontinued Sora to 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. Disney will still engage with other AI platforms to responsibly utilize technology without infringing on intellectual property rights.
OpenAI is shutting down both its Sora consumer app and the internet-based platform for professional video generation. With the closure of Sora, OpenAI will no longer focus on developing video-generation tools.
The firm aims to create other forms of advanced AI, including agentic technology capable of autonomously completing tasks with minimal human oversight.
OpenAI plans to apply the same technology used to teach AI to produce realistic videos to training robots, although the image-making tools on ChatGPT remain unaffected by Sora's closure.
The app, which launched in 2024, attracted significant attention worldwide due to the high quality of its AI-generated videos, resembling those created by professional studios. However, Sora raise concerns about copyright violations and the threat it posed to the media industry.
In December, Disney became the first major studio to license intellectual property to OpenAI for use in its AI video tools, allowing Sora users to create AI videos with Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and Yoda from Star Wars. This agreement was viewed as a pivotal moment for the tech industry and Hollywood amidst legal challenges surrounding AI's use of intellectual property.
Despite its popularity, Sora faced increasing competition in the AI video-making market, including from China's Seedance, which generated controversy in February with realistic videos featuring Hollywood characters.
