AI “slop” is a huge hit: OpenAI’s Sora app achieves 1M downloads in 5 days

OpenAI’s Sora app has hit over one million downloads in less than five days, surpassing ChatGPT’s initial adoption rate despite being limited to North America and requiring invites for actual usage. The TikTok-style AI video platform represents OpenAI’s ambitious bet on AI-generated content, though it’s already facing significant copyright and content moderation challenges that could determine its long-term viability.

What you should know: Sora functions as a social network built entirely around AI-generated videos, offering users an endless vertical feed similar to TikTok’s interface.

• Users can create 10-second videos simply by writing text prompts to OpenAI’s Sora 2 model within the app.
• The Cameo feature allows people to generate videos of themselves and others who have agreed to share their likeness with the service.
• Despite requiring invites to use the app, over one million people downloaded it within its first five days of availability, according to Sora head Bill Peebles.

Content moderation concerns: The platform’s limited guardrails have already resulted in problematic content that raises serious questions about training data and copyright infringement.

• Videos featuring OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and recognizable copyrighted characters like Pikachu have appeared on the platform.
• The ease with which Sora generates videos of recognizable intellectual property has prompted pushback from the entertainment industry.
• These issues highlight fundamental questions about what content OpenAI used to train its video generation model.

OpenAI’s response: The company has begun implementing controls to address content concerns, though these weren’t available at launch.

• Users now have more control over how their likeness can be used in generated videos.
• OpenAI plans to offer similar protections to rights holders, giving them “the ability to specify how their characters can be used (including not at all),” according to Altman.
• The timing of these controls—coming after launch rather than before—raises questions about OpenAI’s initial content moderation strategy.

The big picture: Sora’s rapid adoption suggests strong demand for AI video generation, but the platform’s success will ultimately depend on OpenAI’s ability to navigate content challenges while building a sustainable business model.

• The invite-only system makes it difficult to determine how many of the one million downloads translate to active users.
• OpenAI’s bet on AI-generated videos appears promising, provided the company can generate more revenue than it spends on video creation costs.
• The platform’s early controversies mirror broader industry challenges around AI training data and intellectual property rights.