Groundbreaking Technology Raises Ethical Concerns
New San Francisco-based innovation rivals Google, Meta, and Runway ML
The maker of ChatGPT, OpenAI, revealed its latest breakthrough in generative artificial intelligence with the introduction of Sora, a text-to-video generator. While other companies have ventured into similar technology, OpenAI’s Sora stands out for its high-quality videos and astonishing realism.
Impressive Videos Based on Written Prompts
CEO Sam Altman captivated observers by showcasing Sora’s capabilities. After soliciting written prompts from social media users, Altman responded with realistic videos that matched the provided descriptions. For instance, a freelance photographer suggested a prompt for an instructional cooking session featuring a grandmother social media influencer preparing homemade gnocchi in a rustic Tuscan country kitchen with cinematic lighting. OpenAI’s Sora effortlessly transformed this text into a remarkable video.
Concerns Over Ethical and Societal Implications
While the unveiling of Sora has generated excitement, it has also sparked fears regarding its ethical and societal implications. OpenAI has yet to provide in-depth information about Sora’s development or the sources used to train the model. This opacity, coupled with OpenAI’s ongoing legal battles over copyright infringement, has raised concerns among some authors and news organizations.
OpenAI Engaging with Experts and Policymakers
OpenAI has announced that it is collaborating with artists, policymakers, and domain experts to address these concerns before releasing Sora to the public. The company is actively working with red teamers — experts in areas such as misinformation, hateful content, and bias — to conduct rigorous testing of the model. OpenAI is also in the process of developing tools, including a detection classifier, to identify misleading content generated by Sora.