The Sora team will share more soon, including timelines for the app and API and details on preserving your work.

The move signals a major shift in OpenAI’s strategy as it focuses on core AI development amid changing partnerships.

The Sora decision means the end of a blockbuster $1 billion deal between Disney and the ChatGPT maker that was announced a little more than three months ago. As part of the three-year deal, Disney said it would invest $1 billion in OpenAI and lend more than 200 of its iconic characters to be used in short, AI-generated videos. But the transaction between the companies never closed, two other people familiar with the matter said, and no money changed hands. OpenAI executives have been debating Sora's fate for some time.

The studio giant, Disney will no longer move forward with its OpenAI investment, as the AI company exits the video generation business.

Running the AI video app required significant computational resources, a fourth person with knowledge of the matter said, and left other teams with less firepower. Even so, some OpenAI staffers on the Sora team were surprised when they were informed of the changes Tuesday morning, one of the people and another source said. The announcement was made just a day after OpenAI published a blog post about Sora safety standards.

"We're saying goodbye to Sora ... we know this news is disappointing," the Sora team said in a post on X, adding that timelines for the app and API, as well as details on preserving user work, would be shared later.

Source: Sora