Sora rollout receives mixed response from AI filmmakers

Ten months after previewing it with eye-catching, vividly lifelike videos, OpenAI finally released Sora, its AI video generator model, to the public on Monday.

However, in the two days since, the debut has been less than picture-perfect: Early-adopter AI filmmakers have reported surprisingly inconsistent and unrealistic results from Sora, especially compared to leading rival AI video creation tools from the likes of Runway, Luma, Hailuo, Kling, and Tencent’s new Hunyuan.

Others have taken issue with OpenAI’s content restrictions prohibiting violence and explicit content, even with cartoonish or unserious visuals. And OpenAI has now closed off Sora account creation temporarily to deal with unanticipated high demand, according to a post by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on X yesterday.

Sora’s bumpy rollout already has some stalwart AI critics such as public relations agent Ed Zitron suggesting that it was a “bait and switch” to earn OpenAI positive press coverage despite the company’s being technically unable to actually provide the model in a reliable inference to the masses.

Wide-ranging reactions, from impressed to disappointed

Regardless, those who have been able to access the tool starting this week (or earlier, when OpenAI pre-seeded it to selected alpha and beta testers) report a wide range of experiences, from impressive to disappointing, especially given the price point for accessing it: $20 a month for 50 generations through ChatGPT Plus subscriptions, or $200 a month for unlimited generations through ChatGPT Pro.

“Nope, Sora is not there yet!” wrote creator Umesh on X. “HailuoAI seems far better. I just tried four generations with varying prompts to achieve what HailuoAI did so easily, but none of them worked.”

Similarly, artist PurzBeats posted on X saying Sora was “[p]robably only worth it on the Pro plan,” and that they experienced “[v]ery strange and choppy motion on everything but the subject” in their generations, among other complaints.

“OpenAI has been lying to us this whole time!” wrote independent filmmaker el cine on X. “It loses in every way, most of the clips not usable and it doesn’t even follow prompts properly,” they noted, posting clips of a generation with people walking backwards with their legs facing opposite their torsos and heads. Ultimately, they concluded: “Think twice before going for the Pro plan.”

Others have been more impressed with the results, including futurist podcaster Ed Krassenstein, who called the model “amazing” in a post on X based on his experiences making quick clips with it. He posted a four-minute long Sora-generated film by another creator, KNGMKRlabs, that shows cavemen in a documentary-style program called “The First Humans” which to my eyes looks incredibly realistic and compelling.

A highly competitive market leaves less room for error and tinkering

Nonetheless, as AI video generators work to out-compete one another for users, with new features that make Hollywood-caliber filmmaking available to the masses, Sora’s debut seems challenged to say the least.

And for actual Hollywood studios that OpenAI and rivals are reportedly courting, the rivals may currently have the edge. Already, for example, Runway has inked a deal for an unspecified amount with Lionsgate to provide the John Wick studio with custom AI models trained on its catalog of 20,000+ films and TV shows.

Especially for those looking to shell out the money for the “Pro” subscription tier, the question is whether Sora is worth it now, or whether other AI generators with similar or less-expensive pricing structures are a better deal. Sora’s current output and relatively high entry price points (it offers no free tier, unlike other AI video generators) may make it more challenging to find widespread adoption.

I’ve reached out to OpenAI for a comment on the initial reception to Sora and specifically the negative reactions/criticisms, and will update when I hear back.