On Tuesday, OpenAI announced that it’s shutting down its video-making tool Sora. The news comes two years after OpenAI initially launched the app and months after announcing Sora 2, its second and more powerful AI iteration.
OpenAI did not clearly state why it’s shutting down Sora
The company said it is looking to focus on robotics research to help solve everyday tasks: “We’ve decided to discontinue Sora in the consumer app and API. As we focus and compute demand grows, the Sora research team continues to focus on world simulation research to advance robotics that will help people solve real-world, physical tasks,” an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement obtained by CBS News.
The company first shared the news with The Wall Street Journal before confirming it on X.
“We’re saying goodbye to Sora. To everyone who created with Sora, shared it, and built community around it: thank you. What you made with Sora mattered, and we know this news is disappointing,” it wrote. “We’ll share more soon, including timelines for the app and API and details on preserving your work. – The Sora Team”
OpenAI launched Sora in February 2024 as an AI video-making tool. In September 2025, the company released a new version dubbed Sora 2.
Sora has raised ethical and potential copyright infringement concerns
The app became subject to controversy as videos started to spread on social media, prompting users to figure out if content was real or AI-generated. It also led OpenAI to block users from making videos using Martin Luther King Jr.’s likeness after calling out what it described as “disrespectful depictions” of the late civil rights leader.
“OpenAI has paused generations depicting Dr. King as it strengthens guardrails for historical figures,” OpenAI and King’s estate wrote in a joint statement in October 2025.
Sora also raised concerns regarding potential copyright infringement after users started making videos with characters like Ronald McDonald.
In December 2025, Disney pledged to invest $1 billion in OpenAI and reached a licensing deal that allowed users to include characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars in Sora AI videos. Yet, Disney is now reportedly exiting the deal, according to a source via The Hollywood Reporter.
“As the nascent AI field advances rapidly, we respect OpenAI’s decision to exit the video generation business and to shift its priorities elsewhere,” a Disney spokesperson said, per The Hollywood Reporter. “We appreciate the constructive collaboration between our teams and what we learned from it, and we will continue to engage with AI platforms to find new ways to meet fans where they are while responsibly embracing new technologies that respect IP and the rights of creators.”
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