Unique Research · Industry · November 27, 2024
A group appears to have leaked access to OpenAI’s video generator Sora, protesting what they call OpenAI’s hypocrisy and “artwashing.” Tuesday they posted a Hugging Face project seemingly tied to Sora’s unpublished API. Using auth tokens — likely from early access — they built a front end for generating Sora video.
Users could prompt short text into up to 1080p, 10-second clips. TechCrunch hit a long queue; some X users posted samples with OpenAI’s watermark. By 12:01 p.m. ET the front end was down — OpenAI or Hugging Face likely revoked access. The group claimed that after three hours OpenAI temporarily shut all artist early access to Sora.
Why: they say OpenAI pressed early testers (red-teamers and creative partners) to invent positive Sora narratives without fair pay. Calling themselves “Sora PR puppets”: “Hundreds of artists gave unpaid labor — bug hunting, feedback, experimental work — to a ~$150B company… Early access seemed less about creative expression and critique than PR and ads.” Members later listed names on Hugging Face and a petition.
They also claim tightly controlled early access misled the public on Sora’s capability: every output needed OpenAI approval for wide sharing; only a few creators were picked to showcase work. “We’re not against AI as an art tool (we wouldn’t have been invited if we were)… We disagree with how the artist program launched and how the tool developed before a possible public release. We share this so OpenAI becomes more open and artist-supporting — not just a PR stunt.”
OpenAI spokesperson: Sora still in “research preview,” balancing creativity and strong safety for broader use. “Hundreds of artists in our alpha shaped Sora — prioritizing features and safeguards. Participation is voluntary; no obligation to give feedback or use the tool. We’re glad to give free access and will keep supporting via grants, events, and other programs. We believe AI can be a powerful creative tool and are committed to making Sora useful and safe.” Artists have “no obligation” beyond using Sora “responsibly” and not sharing confidential info during development — without defining “responsible” or what is confidential.
Since debut earlier this year Sora hit technical setbacks as rivals raced ahead; co-lead Tim Brooks left for Google in early October. CPO Kevin Weil (Reddit AMA): blocked by model polish, safety/sim, and compute scale. The Information: original Feb system needed 10+ minutes for a one-minute clip. Consistency issues: filmmaker Patrick Cederberg needed hundreds of takes for one usable clip. Leaked code hints at a faster “turbo” Sora plus style controls. Training reportedly used millions of hours of high-quality clips across styles.
OpenAI also ceded partnership ground: Runway–Lionsgate custom model on Lionsgate’s catalog (Sept); Stability recruited James Cameron to its board ~a week later. OpenAI demoed Sora to filmmakers/studios earlier; ex-CTO Mira Murati attended Cannes — no major studio deals announced yet.
— END —