OpenAI has shut down its artificial intelligence (AI) video-generation app Sora less than two years after its launch made headlines for creating realistic clips based on simple prompts.
Simultaneously, OpenAI will also wind down its content partnership with entertainment giant Disney, the BBC understands.
OpenAI told the BBC on Wednesday that it has discontinued Sora to focus on other developments, such as robotics that will help people solve real-world, physical tasks.
A spokesperson for The Walt Disney Company remarked, We respect OpenAI's decision to exit the video generation business and to shift its priorities elsewhere.
Disney will engage with other AI platforms to find ways to responsibly use the technology without infringing on intellectual property rights, a spokesperson said.
OpenAI confirmed it is shutting down both the Sora consumer app and the internet-based platform used by professionals to generate videos.
The BBC understands that with the closure of Sora, OpenAI will no longer focus on developing video-generation tools.
The firm aims to create other forms of advanced AI, including agentic technology capable of autonomously completing tasks with little human oversight.
OpenAI plans to apply the same technology used to teach AI how to produce realistic videos to training robots.
Notably, image-making tools on ChatGPT remain unaffected by Sora's closure, according to OpenAI.
Sora launched in 2024 to huge interest worldwide due to the high quality of its AI-generated videos that appeared to have been produced by professional studios.
However, the app also sparked concerns about copyright violations and the potential threat it posed to the media industry.
In December, Disney became the first major studio to license intellectual property (IP) to OpenAI for use in its AI video tools, allowing Sora users to create videos featuring Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and Yoda from Star Wars.
This agreement was seen as a significant change for the tech industry and Hollywood, given that major studios had previously initiated legal challenges to AI firms over the use of their IP.
Some within the media industry also expressed worries that the deal could lead to AI replacing entertainment industry talent.
Sora faced increasing competition from other AI video-making platforms, including China's Seedance, which generated controversy when realistic videos involving Hollywood characters went viral online.
