OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, released its newest breakthrough in artificial intelligence on Oct. 1, 2025 with a video generating app called Sora AI. This app transforms written prompts into extremely realistic, high quality videos, letting users turn ideas into moving, lifelike scenes.
The first model of Sora was created in the U.S. and Canada in Dec. 2024, with the second model—Sora 2—being released almost a year later on Sept. 30, 2025. The app immediately went viral, topping the Apple App store and reaching one million downloads in under five days. Despite its popularity, Sora AI still has flaws.
“[Sora] overall has a lot of risks,” said Megan Shahi, the director of Technology at the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
OpenAI introduced Sora with the tagline “from words to worlds”. Sora’s “cameo” feature, which lets users insert real people into the generated videos, has drawn attention not just because of its ingenuity, but also because of how easily it can spread misinformation online.
“People are starting to believe that videos from Sora AI are real,” sophomore Rihanna Sharma said. “It’s a terrible environment.”
Another key issue is potential copyright and intellectual property rights violations. Through a set of basic prompts, users can replicate motion picture scenes and characters enabling them to copy work without consequence.
“There is a lot of concern among unionized workers in the entertainment space, like artists and comedians,” Shahi said.
The issue spreads to social media platforms such as Instagram, Tiktok and Facebook, where users are being bombarded with deepfake videos developed on Sora.
“AI could go sideways very quickly in many ways, especially by making [it] harder to tell if [information is] true or authentic,” Shahi said. “AI will make good things better and bad things worse.”
Along with the risk of untrustworthy information and content, Sora lacks important restrictions. There are little to no guidelines on who can generate a video, who can see these generated videos or what is being generated.
“Sora doesn’t just generate weird content like someone doing 50 backflips, but it can also generate bad content like borderline nudity, pornographic material or gore,” Shahi said.
In addition to content-related dangers, people are also concerned that Sora AI causes people to stop thinking for themselves, instead relying on AI tools for any problem.
“There are more tools and ways to explore different ideas through those tools,” Shahi said. “People might turn from creative analytical thinking to these AI tools, not refining their own solutions to problems. It’s going to [take away] creativity and decrease people’s critical thinking skills.”
While many recognize the risks, others focus more on the benefits, especially the ability of the app to complement existing AI technologies for educational purposes.
“I use Chat GPT to help me study but I can see how Sora AI will help me visualise my work in the future,” freshman James O’Hara said.
Sora’s strength lies in its ability to turn abstract concepts into visual experiences. For students like O’Hara, that means learning biology, chemistry, anatomy and so many other subjects in ways that feel like watching a 3D simulation rather than reading a textbook.
“The quality of Sora’s videos speaks to how OpenAI [will be] absolutely dominating in the film space,” Shahi said. “We have to be optimistic on how it will affect workers, companies, and especially the film industry with the little guardrails put in place.”
There are numerous consequences of Sora, but one thing appears certain—it is just the beginning of content-generating AI apps. The development of Sora AI gives people a glimpse into the future of similar technology. Building on the success and popularity of apps such as Sora 2, OpenAI and other internet companies are expected to build even more powerful tools.
“I’m excited to see how far Sora can go but I’m also nervous to see what it means for the future of humanity,” Sharma said.
