In a move that's already dividing the tech world, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman unveiled Sora 2 this week, a powerful new AI tool for generating videos from text prompts, complete with synced audio and eerily realistic physics. The launch, detailed in Altman's own blog post on September 30, comes bundled with a fresh iOS app designed for quick sharing—like a TikTok on steroids, but powered by cutting-edge machine learning. Yet, access remains tightly controlled; it's invite-only, fueling a frantic scramble for those elusive Sora 2 invite codes.
Indeed, within hours of the announcement, Reddit's r/OpenAI subreddit exploded into a megathread with over 14,000 comments, users begging, trading, and even posting codes in hopes of reciprocity. Moreover, eBay listings have popped up hawking invites for as much as $50 a pop, turning what Altman pitched as collaborative creativity into a shadowy resale market. One user on Medium claimed to snag a code through sheer persistence, only to generate a clip of Pikachu dashing through a neon-lit Tokyo street—viral gold that racked up thousands of views before the day was out.
However, the excitement carries a sharper edge. Reports are surfacing of deepfake videos flooding feeds, including unsettling ones featuring Altman himself in absurd scenarios, like shoplifting gadgets from a virtual store. Hollywood insiders are fuming too, as the app's opt-out policy for copyrighted material feels more like a loophole than protection; early testers whipped up branded cartoons in minutes, raising alarms about intellectual property in this AI wild west. OpenAI insists safeguards are in place, with age checks and content filters during onboarding, but skeptics wonder if that's enough to curb misuse.
Still, the Pikachu frenzy highlights Sora 2's potential for fun, accessible storytelling, even as it blurs lines between real and fabricated. One can't help but ponder how such tools might reshape our digital playgrounds in the months ahead.