OpenAI has unveiled Sora, a new AI-powered video app that lets users generate and share short AI videos — including ones spun from copyrighted content. The app introduces a TikTok-style stream for AI creations and raises immediate copyright concerns across Hollywood. Studios like Disney have already opted out, while OpenAI maintains it follows its previous opt-out policy used for image generation. The move intensifies debates over fair use, competitiveness with China, and the role of AI in reshaping entertainment and social media.

Key Points

• Launch of Sora: OpenAI’s new app allows users to create and share 10-second AI-generated videos.
• Copyright policy: Copyright owners must opt out to keep their work from being used in the video feed. Disney has already taken this step.
• Fair use argument: Earlier this year, OpenAI urged the Trump administration to classify training on copyrighted data as “fair use,” framing it as critical to U.S. competitiveness and national security.
• User protections: OpenAI introduced safeguards to prevent unauthorized likeness use, including a “liveness check” where users must move their head and recite numbers before generating their own AI videos.
• New features: The “Cameo” function allows people to insert realistic AI versions of themselves into generated scenes.
• Market impact: Analysts see Sora as a potential rival to Meta, Google, TikTok, and other digital content giants.

Key Quotes

• “The copyright policy is likely to ruffle feathers throughout Hollywood.”
• “At least one major studio, Disney, has already opted out of having their material appear in the app.”
• “Applying the fair use doctrine to AI is not only a matter of American competitiveness — it’s a matter of national security.” — OpenAI, March statement
• “Our companies are in the business of competing for time and modifying consumer behavior.” — Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak

Implications

OpenAI’s Sora app is poised to ignite fresh battles between AI firms and Hollywood. While the opt-out policy gives studios some control, the reliance on copyrighted material could deepen disputes over fair use and licensing. By positioning AI training as a matter of national security, OpenAI raises the stakes far beyond entertainment, framing it as a geopolitical issue. At the same time, Sora’s TikTok-like format and “Cameo” personalization could draw users away from existing platforms, intensifying competition in the short-form content space.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/openai-launches-new-ai-video-app-spun-copyrighted-content-2025-09-30/