OpenAI Sora App Surpasses 1 Million Downloads, Outpacing ChatGPT

We’ve seen the usefulness of AI to summarize lengthy and boring reports. We’ve also seen its capabilities in helping users research topics that would have otherwise taken hours or days. However, AI is a double-edged sword. We’ve also seen how it can be abused to create fake videos. Unfortunately, things aren’t going to get better because the OpenAI Sora app has hit 1 million downloads in less than five days.

OpenAI Sora app hits 1 million downloads

Bill Peebles, head of Sora at OpenAI, announced the milestone in a post on X. According to the post, “sora hit 1M app downloads in <5 days, even faster than chatgpt did (despite the invite flow and only targeting north america!)!” The OpenAI Sora million download achievement is impressive considering the app remains invite-only. It is also still limited to users in the US and Canada.

For those who are unfamiliar, OpenAI announced Sora 2 a couple of weeks ago. Sora is basically an AI-powered video generation platform. It lets users create short AI-generated videos from text prompts using the advanced Sora 2 model, which produces realistic, cinematic, and anime-style videos with synced audio.

The app also includes a social feature called “cameo.” This allows users to upload videos of themselves for others to generate content using their likeness. Despite access restrictions, Sora claimed the number one spot on Apple’s App Store, outpacing ChatGPT’s early adoption.

The deepfake problem

While Sora’s technology is impressive, it raises serious concerns about deepfakes and misinformation. AI-generated videos are becoming increasingly convincing, making it easier for bad actors to create fake content that’s hard to distinguish from reality. This technology can be exploited for fraud, harassment, or spreading false information.

Additionally, Sora faced backlash after users generated videos featuring copyrighted characters from “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Rick and Morty,” and “South Park.” While it’s hilarious and kind of clever, it does show the potential for misuse. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded by promising granular copyright controls and potential revenue sharing with rights holders.

So, if you thought the AI slop problem right now is bad, the hype and popularity of the Sora app suggests that we can expect more to come in the future. Especially once it stops being invite-only.