OpenAI unveils Sora, AI model to make instant videos from text

(Reuters) : Microsoft-backed OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, took another leap in artificial intelligence as it announced on Thursday it is working on a new model that can generate minutelong videos based on text instructions.

The software, called Sora, is currently available for red teaming, which helps identify flaws in the AI system, as well as for use by visual artists, designers and filmmakers to gain feedback on the model, the San Franciso-based company said in a statement.

“Sora is able to generate complex scenes with multiple characters, specific types of motion and accurate details of the subject and background,” the statement said, adding that it can create multiple shots within a single video.

Apart from generating videos from text prompts, Sora can animate a still image, the company said in a blog post.

“We’re teaching AI to understand and simulate the physical world in motion, with the goal of training models that help people solve problems that require real-world interaction,” OpenAI said.

The video generation software follows OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, which was released in late 2022 and created a buzz around generative artificial intelligence with its ability to compose emails and write code and poems.

Social media giant Meta Platforms beefed up its image generation model Emu last year to add two AI-based features that can edit and generate videos from text prompts.

The Facebook parent is also looking to compete with Microsoft, Alphabet’s Google and Amazon in the rapidly transforming generative AI universe.

Sora is a work-in-progress, with the company adding that the model may confuse the spatial details of a prompt, and have difficulty in following a specific camera trajectory.

OpenAI said it was also developing tools that can discern if a video was generated by Sora.

Earlier this week the company said it was testing a feature in which its popular chatbot ChatGPT would soon be able to memorize information and data about its users.