Sora, OpenAI’s short-form AI video platform, has been available for iPhones for the past few weeks. Users have spent that time generating hyper-realistic vertical videos that, despite their watermarks, might already be fooling people on the internet.
I, for one, see nothing good about a tool that can make these types of videos from simple prompts, perhaps outside the sheer novelty alone. But the app is undeniably popular, and, as expected, OpenAI is continuing to “improve” it. On Wednesday, the head of Sora, Bill Peebles, shared a roadmap of updates coming to the app, from cameos for your pets to video editing tools.
Sora will soon let you make cameos of anything you want
Peebles says that “character cameos” are on their way in the coming days. When this feature drops, you’ll be able to make cameos of just about anything you want, including your pets (Peebles suggests your dog or guinea pig), stuffed toys, as well as AI-generated characters Sora may have produced in your past videos.
Cameos are a defining, and controversial, Sora feature. It lets you scan your likeness into the app so you can create videos featuring yourself. Not only that, you can remix videos with cameos of anyone else who has scanned themself into Sora—assuming their permissions allow you to use their cameos. It’s impressive tech, but it raises major ethical concerns, considering you can make someone else do or say things they never signed off on. Now, apparently, you’ll also be able to do the same with the family cat or your childhood stuffed animal.
Following these additional cameo options, Peebles says you’ll be able to see “the latest trending cameos in real time.” I’m guessing the idea is to browse the most popular cameos on the platform, and, if you want to, add them to your own videos.
Sora is also getting basic video editing tools. According to Peebles, this starts with the ability to stitch multiple clips together, though other “powerful new features” will follow. Peebles says the Sora team is also working on reducing “excessive moderation,” which he acknowledges is “super annoying” to users, as well as improving the app’s performance.
Speaking of apps, Android users will soon have their chance to try Sora. Right now, the app is iOS-only, but Sora’s Android version is “actually coming soon,” Peebles says.
A reminder to be wary of what you see on the internet
As critical and cynical as I am about Sora and services like it, I can see the utility here. I imagine people will get a kick out of being able to put their pets in any situation they want. And if they want to make fried eggs sing a song, or a stuffed animal say “hello,” more power to them.
But my main concerns with this app are not assuaged by any of these updates: Sora still lets you generate convincing videos with a simple prompt, with the only safeguard a watermark that’s easy to remove if you know where to look. People were already falling for fake videos on the internet before these tools came along; now, it’s becoming way too difficult to know whether what you’re watching is actually real or not. If you ask me, you’re better off assuming all of it is fake.
Disclosure: Lifehacker’s parent company, Ziff Davis, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
