FOLLOW US

At the same time, OpenAI is ending its content partnership with Disney. The company said it decided to discontinue Sora in order to focus on other areas of development, particularly robotics that can help people perform real-world physical tasks.

A spokesperson for The Walt Disney Company said the company respects OpenAI’s decision to leave the video-generation space and shift its priorities. Disney added that it will explore other AI platforms to find responsible ways to use the technology without violating intellectual property rights.

OpenAI confirmed it is shutting down both the consumer version of Sora and the web-based platform used by professionals to create videos. With this move, the company will no longer focus on developing video-generation tools.

Instead, OpenAI plans to invest in other advanced forms of AI, including “agentic” systems capable of completing tasks independently with minimal human input. The company also intends to apply the technology behind Sora’s video generation to training robots.

OpenAI noted that image-generation tools within ChatGPT will continue to operate and are not affected by Sora’s closure.

Sora was launched in 2024 and quickly attracted global attention for producing videos that looked as though they were made by professional studios. However, it also raised concerns about copyright issues and its potential impact on the media industry.

In December, Disney became the first major studio to license its intellectual property to OpenAI for use in AI-generated videos. The three-year agreement allowed users to create videos featuring popular characters such as Mickey Mouse and Yoda from Star Wars.

The deal was widely seen as a major milestone in the relationship between the tech industry and Hollywood, especially after several studios had taken legal action against AI companies over the use of their content.

At the same time, some industry experts worried that such agreements could accelerate the replacement of human talent in entertainment with AI.

Sora also faced increasing competition in the AI video market, including from China-based Seedance, which drew attention in February after realistic AI-generated videos featuring Hollywood-style characters went viral online.