In the whirlwind launch of OpenAI's latest AI venture, Sora 2 has quickly become the talk of the tech world, blending video generation with social sharing in a way that's both innovative and, frankly, a bit unsettling. Announced just days ago on September 30, 2025, by CEO Sam Altman himself via his blog, the app promises to turn simple text prompts into realistic short videos complete with synchronized audio. But access? That's where the frenzy begins. Invite codes are flying around Reddit megathreads and eBay listings, with some resellers hawking them for upwards of $50 a pop. Indeed, the hype is palpable—thousands are scrambling for entry into this exclusive club.
However, beneath the excitement lies a darker undercurrent. Within 24 hours of rollout, users flooded the platform with deepfakes, including eerily convincing clips of Sam Altman himself shoplifting or spouting nonsense. One viral video even featured Altman as a cartoonish Pikachu, dancing through a Pokémon-inspired scene that racked up shares before moderators could intervene. Critics are already raising alarms about copyright violations and the ease of creating misleading content, especially since the app's iOS debut encourages personal avatars and remixing friends' videos. OpenAI insists on safeguards like age-appropriate protections during onboarding, but reports of branded cartoons slipping through suggest the filters aren't foolproof.
Moreover, the resale market for these Sora 2 invite codes underscores a broader issue: inequality in AI access. While elites snag spots through connections, everyday enthusiasts are left refreshing waitlists or trading favors online. Altman's vision, as outlined in his post, paints Sora as a "low-friction" creative tool, yet the reality feels more like a gated garden party. Still, the potential for collaborative storytelling is undeniable—imagine generating a 10-second clip from a photo and sharing it instantly.
As this new era of AI entertainment unfolds, it prompts us to consider the balance between boundless creativity and the risks it unleashes.