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Sora 2 is a hit so far – but OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says changes are coming

Sora 2
Sora 2 has improved physics handling, amongst other upgrades (Image credit: OpenAI)

  • OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been talking Sora 2
  • More control for copyright holders is in the pipeline
  • There might soon be a payments system for videos too

Earlier this week OpenAI launched Sora 2, a substantial upgrade on its previous AI video generation tool, together with a new app and a TikTok-style personalized feed of video clips – and there are some changes on the way, according to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

First, Altman says copyright holders are going to get “more granular control” over how their characters can be used in the Sora app – in other words, it may not be so easy to generate clips featuring Marvel and Disney characters in the future.

“Rightsholders… are very excited for this new kind of ‘interactive fan fiction’ and think this new kind of engagement will accrue a lot of value to them, but want the ability to specify how their characters can be used (including not at all),” explains Altman.

From OpenAI’s perspective, it wants as many users and as many video clip generations as it can possibly get – and it’s hoping to make the technology compelling enough that copyright holders want to get involved, while also giving them the choice to opt out.

In it for the money

Sam Altman/Photo Agency

OpenAI boss Sam Altman (Image credit: Shutterstock)

The second change that Altman talks about in his new blog post is around monetization rewards – though it seems this will be for companies whose work is included in the Sora clips, rather than the users who are creating them.

According to Altman, Sora users are generating a lot more video than OpenAI expected, and so there might be some kind of pay-to-generate system introduced in the near future (there have been previous hints at getting users to pay during periods of high demand).

“We are going to try sharing some of this revenue with rightsholders who want their characters generated by users,” says Altman. “The exact model will take some trial and error to figure out, but we plan to start very soon.”

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Right now, the Sora app is only available for iOS, and only in the US and Canada – and you need to have an invite to try it out. However, you can expect it to become more widely available soon, and most probably with tighter restrictions on what you can make.


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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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