Sora, the first standalone OpenAI app since ChatGPT, will shut down less than a year after launch. This news coincides with Disney withdrawing its $1 billion investment in the program, with the company noting that the field of artificial intelligence is “nascent.”
Here’s what we know about Sora’s shutdown and why the team decided to cut his life short.
Will Sora be closed?
Yes, as we mentioned earlier, Team Sora announced the news of its closure on March 24, 2026, via X.com.
“We say ‘goodbye’ to Sora,” the team tweeted that day. “To everyone who created with, shared, and built a community around Sora: Thank you. What you did with Sora was important, and we know this news is disappointing.”
The statement continued:We’ll share more soon, including implementation timelines, API, and details about keeping you working. “Team Sora.”
We say goodbye to Sora. To everyone who created with Sora, shared it, and built a community around it: thank you. What she did with Sora was important, and we know this news is disappointing.
We’ll share more soon, including app timelines, API, and details about…
— Sora (@soraofficialapp) March 24, 2026
What is Sora?
Sora was an AI-powered video creation app that allowed users to put themselves in videos as characters.
“Turn your ideas into videos with hyper-realistic motion and sound,” OpenAI’s Sora page describes the soon-to-be app. “Show yourself and your friends in videos as characters.”
The program caused consternation in Hollywood and among creators because of its model that chose not to require intellectual property rights owners to report whether they wanted their copyrighted works excluded. The videos created by the app looked remarkably realistic, delighting users and arousing the interest of artists.
Why was Sora closed?
Sora’s team did not explain the reason for its closure, but Disney provided a statement about the closure and pledged to “continue engaging with AI platforms” in the future.
“With rapid progress in the emerging field of artificial intelligence, we respect OpenAI’s decision to exit the video production business and shift its priorities elsewhere,” a Disney spokesperson said. diverse. “We value the constructive collaboration between our teams and what we have learned from it, and we will continue to work with AI platforms to find new ways to meet fans where they are while responsibly embracing new technologies that respect intellectual property and creator rights.”
Previously, Disney and other entertainment companies have accused generative AI platforms of copyright infringement. Disney has sent cease and desist letters to Google, Meta, and Actor.AI, and has filed lawsuits against Midjourney and Minimax, alleging copyright infringement.
Google has removed AI-generated videos related to intellectual property that Disney flagged.
