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Goodbye to Sora

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Re: Goodbye to Sora

#131
post #38

> OpenAI launched Sora last September, aiming to expand its dominance among consumers by creating a TikTok-style social feed that allowed users to share AI-generated content with one another. I never understood what this app was about. TikTok (and I would argue most modern social media platforms) isn’t really about sharing things with friends, it’s about entertainment. Most people watch TikToks and YouTube videos bec…

> Beyond the initial 2-3 minutes of novelty, what do AI generated videos really have to offer when there is no shortage of people making professional, high quality content on competing platforms? I don't know where they got September from; Sora launched in Feb 2024[0] which was a bit before people had become tired of awful AI-generated content. There was real belief that people would be willing to spend all day scrol…

To nitpick a tiny bit, from Wikipedia[0]:

> In February 2024, OpenAI previewed examples of its output to the public,[1] with the first generation of Sora released publicly for ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Pro users in the US and Canada in December 2024[2][3] and the second generation, Sora 2, was released to select users in the US and Canada at the end of September 2025.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sora_(text-to-video_model)

Re: Goodbye to Sora

#132

I thought AI video was the future? Now the biggest AI company in the world is straight up shutting their service down because it's too expensive? Simply a disaster for OpenAI and the industry as a whole.

[deleted]

Re: Goodbye to Sora

#133
post #91

I thought AI video was the future? Now the biggest AI company in the world is straight up shutting their service down because it's too expensive? Simply a disaster for OpenAI and the industry as a whole.

It may very well be the future, but in the present OpenAI has to make money.

I sure hope not, otherwise they're screwed

Re: Goodbye to Sora

#134
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're shutting down Sora, not AI-generated video. From the article: "OpenAI […] is not getting out of the AI video business (AI video is one of many tools that can take form in the ChatGPT app), of course, but it appears the standalone Sora app will be a casualty of its evolving ambitions."

If they were just shutting down the dedicated app and offering the same capabilities in the ChatGPT interface, I don't see why Disney would exit their deal?

Because Disney's deal was specifically and exclusively related to Sora, which was OpenAI's bizzare attempt at a TikTok like social networking site but using AI generated videos.

It was not a deal that allowed the use of Disney's characters for general purpose AI generated content using OpenAI tools.

Re: Goodbye to Sora

#136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every flop used for entertainment is opportunity cost. Compute is far more valuable used internally to create AGI than creating parody videos.

Wasn't video generation one of their big stepping stones towards AGI? "Simulating worlds", reasoning about physics and real world interactions and all that? Or are they still doing that behind the scenes and just decided that offering it to the public isn't profitable?

> As we focus and compute demand grows, the Sora research team continues to focus on world simulation research to advance robotics that will help people solve real-world, physical tasks.

https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-discontinues-sora-vid...

So yeah, focusing on world models

Re: Goodbye to Sora

#137
post #99

I thought AI video was the future? Now the biggest AI company in the world is straight up shutting their service down because it's too expensive? Simply a disaster for OpenAI and the industry as a whole.

They're shutting down Sora, not AI-generated video. From the article: "OpenAI […] is not getting out of the AI video business (AI video is one of many tools that can take form in the ChatGPT app), of course, but it appears the standalone Sora app will be a casualty of its evolving ambitions."

Dunno, from the WSJ scoop: "CEO Sam Altman announced the changes to staff on Tuesday, writing that the company would wind down products that use its video models. In addition to the consumer app, OpenAI is also discontinuing a version of Sora for developers and won’t support video functionality inside ChatGPT, either."

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/openai-set-to-discontinue-sora-v...

https://archive.ph/cKWkf#selection-907.0-907.291

Re: Goodbye to Sora

#138

This will happen with most offerings made by the major AI labs. Inference is expensive, and the closer they get to AGI, the higher the opportunity to use compute for inference rather than training, especially if it’s for making what is essentially entertainment that many people hate on principle.

Indeed. But they won't get to "AGI", because that goal isn't even remotely defined. A "human-level" intelligence implies a large number of properties that cannot exist inside an inference machine. Dreams, for example, might be considered to be a part of "human-level" intelligence. Will the machine dream? What happens if you turn a "human-level" intelligence off? Did you kill someone? AGI is a pipe dream - and moreove…

>Will the machine dream?

You seem to be mixing up intelligence and consciousness. Not only does intelligence exist outside of humans, and even mammals, but it exists outside of brains and even neurons. For example, slime molds have fascinating problem solving abilities: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2012.11811

It is clear that whatever we are...creating/growing with LLMs, it is very unlike human intelligence, but it is nonetheless some type of intelligence.

Re: Goodbye to Sora

#139

I thought AI video was the future? Now the biggest AI company in the world is straight up shutting their service down because it's too expensive? Simply a disaster for OpenAI and the industry as a whole.

Don’t worry nvidia will come with their giga chad 9000x which will run the model with no qualms.

Re: Goodbye to Sora

#140

If I were to get conspiracy-minded: Sora had to be shut down because it was the clearest, most consequential demonstration that OpenAI’s models are running way, way ahead of their ability to align/jail them effectively.

Nope. It was just a bad product that no one wanted. It’s not a super-secret indicator that OpenAI is actually going to take over the world any day now.

Not “take over the world” level misalignment. I mean, “We can’t assuredly prevent our models from generating unlicensed IP or degrading pornography without blunt approaches that alienate our core audience”.
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