OpenAI has released Sora, its vibrant generative AI tool for creating hyper-realistic videos.

In a post published on Monday, OpenAI said the text-to-video generator is available for public use. To use Sora, an account must be created. However, logins have been temporarily disabled due to heavy traffic.

The public launch of the tool comes as the entertainment industry grapples with adopting technology that could potentially reduce production costs. Mainstream acceptance in Hollywood was slow but steady. In September, Lionsgate announced a partnership with Runway that will see the New York-based AI startup train a new enterprise content generative AI model that will be used to help develop content-the-scene production processes. James Cameron then joined the board of Stability AI – the creator of Stable Diffusion, an image and video-focused model closely watched by many in Hollywood, particularly in the visual effects industry – in a major coup for the company.

According to the blog post, videos can be created up to 1080p resolution and 20 seconds long in widescreen, vertical or square aspect ratios. Users can upload their own assets to expand, remix and remix videos, in addition to generating entirely new content with a text prompt.

OpenAI said the tool will be included with existing ChatGPT Plus and Pro accounts at no additional cost. As part of the subscription, users can create up to 50 videos with a resolution of 480p or less videos with a higher resolution.

Last month, OpenAI announced that ChatGPT now has more than 200 million weekly active users. It plans to introduce ChatGPT Pro, a new $200 monthly subscription tier that includes unlimited access to OpenAI o1, GPT-4o, and Advanced Voice mode. A Plus tier is still offered for $20 per month, which includes early access to new features.

Sora was initially limited to a pool of security testers who reported on vulnerabilities related to misinformation and bias, as well as visual artists, designers and filmmakers who provided feedback on improvements

A small group of artists testing Sora in November leaked access to the tool to protest the company’s treatment of them as “free bug testers” and “PR puppets.” In an open letter they stated: “Hundreds of artists are providing unpaid labor through bug testing, feedback and experimental work for the program for a company valued at $150 billion.”

Although there are legal and employment protections in place, text-to-video tools are expected to find important applications in areas such as visual effects and animation. Some industry players have already adopted the technology into their workflows.

A study of 300 executives across Hollywood released earlier this year found that three-quarters of respondents said AI tools helped reduce, eliminate or consolidate jobs at their companies. It is estimated that nearly 204,000 jobs will be affected over the next three years. Sound engineers, voice actors, concept artists and visual effects workers were cited as particularly at risk.

OpenAI no longer discloses the data sources used to train its systems. Artists, authors and publications have sued the Sam Altman-led company, alleging that it illegally stole their work without consent or compensation. Courts ruling against fair use – a legal doctrine that allows the use of copyrighted works without a license – could have a significant impact on the AI ​​leader.