“Peak AI slop achieved!” — OpenAI’s Sora 2 redefines deepfakes, launches a TikTok clone, and blows minds

by

Artificial intelligence is now capable of creating incredibly realistic images and videos. Recently, the launch of Google’s AI app, powered by Gemini, and the resulting ‘Nano Banana’ trend caused a stir online, with many impressed by the image quality and it quickly surpassing ChatGPT in popularity.

OpenAI updated its AI video generator, Sora, on September 30th. Sora first became available in 2024, and this new version quickly generated a lot of excitement in the tech industry – and with good cause.

Sora 2 creates remarkably realistic videos. It understands complex directions and produces results that are hard to distinguish from footage created by humans. The often messy and artificial look of AI-generated videos is steadily improving.

In a recent blog post, the team behind OpenAI’s Sora announced they believe it represents a significant leap forward in video generation, similar to the major advancements seen with the GPT-3.5 update in March 2022. They suggest Sora is a pivotal moment for the technology.

Sora 2 excels at creating videos of incredibly complex actions that previous AI models couldn’t handle. This includes things like realistic Olympic gymnastics, paddleboarding flips that follow the laws of physics, and even a cat clinging on during a triple axel jump.

Sora 2 team, OpenAI

OpenAI has released a new iOS app called Sora, coinciding with the launch of Sora 2. You can download the app now.

This new social media app works similarly to TikTok. It uses an algorithm to show you a personalized feed of videos – content created by the Sora 2 AI – that you and your friends can share.

Wired reports that the Sora app creates video clips up to 10 seconds long using only artificial intelligence – you can’t upload your own footage or pictures. Everything is generated by the AI itself.

AI deepfakes are now called “cameos”

As a researcher exploring this new app, I’ve noticed OpenAI really emphasizes its social aspect – it’s designed to be used with friends. A key feature enabling this is called ‘cameos.’ Once you verify your identity, the app creates a digital representation of you that can then be included in videos generated by AI. It’s a pretty neat way to personalize the content and share it with people you know.

Once you approve, other people can use your image or video. You’ll be notified whenever you’re featured in a video, even if it’s just a draft. Plus, if a friend creates a video you enjoy, you can easily use parts of it in your own video!

Testers consistently say the cameo feature is what makes this app stand out and enjoyable. It’s hard to explain-you really need to experience it yourself-but it offers a fresh and different way to connect with others.

Sora 2 team, OpenAI

OpenAI states that its focus isn’t on keeping users scrolling for long periods; instead, the Sora app is designed to encourage creation rather than just watching. By letting users customize their feed, OpenAI aims to prevent problems with overuse and potential addiction.

I’m really glad to see OpenAI taking teen safety seriously with ChatGPT. They’re limiting how much a young user can see each day, and also tightening up restrictions on those ‘cameo’ features – basically, limiting interactions that might be inappropriate. Plus, the new parental controls they just rolled out add another layer of protection, which is awesome.

OpenAI is initially offering its Sora app for free so users can experiment with what it can do. While this could change later, currently the only way OpenAI plans to make money from Sora is by charging users a fee to create videos when the system is experiencing high traffic.

The world reacts to Sora 2’s incredible capabilities

Sora 2 and its app are still only available to people with invitations, but that hasn’t stopped a huge number of users from giving it a try. The videos it creates are surprisingly good, and I’m really impressed with some of the creative results.

As part of my research, I came across a fabricated video online. It depicted Sam Altman seemingly stealing artwork from the Studio Ghibli offices, with Hayao Miyazaki trying to recover it. It appears this was created in response to the controversy surrounding GPT-4o’s image generation capabilities that surfaced in April.

Not only is the video nearly perfect, but so too is the audio.

Someone on X shared a video combining clips created with Sora 2, playfully naming it “Interdimensional Cable” after the show-within-a-show from Rick and Morty. They jokingly called it the pinnacle of AI-generated content.

Sora 2 is getting a huge reaction online, and it’s easy to see why I was initially impressed. However, as the excitement died down, I started thinking about what this technology could mean as it gets even better – and many others are doing the same.

A discussion on the r/singularity subreddit about the Sora 2 video generation tool covers a wide range of concerns, including the possibility of scams and potential job displacement.

Comment from r/singularity

Some people are worried that the huge improvement in video quality will make it even harder to tell what’s real and what’s fake, especially in a world where that’s already a problem.

Comment from r/singularity

As a tech enthusiast, I’m really excited to see where OpenAI takes Sora 2. The initial demos were mind-blowing, and I’m definitely curious to see if it can maintain that level of quality when it’s officially released to the public. I’m keeping a close eye on its development!

On September 25th, Meta launched “Vibes,” an AI-powered video feed within its Meta AI app. However, the release hasn’t gotten much attention, as OpenAI’s ChatGPT model, Sora 2, has quickly become the dominant topic of conversation.

Stay up-to-date with the latest from Windows Central by following us on Google News! You’ll get all our news, insights, and features right in your feed.

Read More

2025-10-03 14:11