OpenAI, a big name in artificial intelligence from the United States, announced on Friday that its Sora video-making tool is now available in the European Union (EU) andBritain. This comes after it first launched in the U.S. and other places back in December. Sora is a tool that can create short, high-quality videos, and now people in more countries can use it.
The company shared on X that paying users of its ChatGPT service in the EU, UK, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland can now access Sora. ChatGPT is another tool from OpenAI that helps people chat with AI, and Sora is an add-on for those who pay for it.
Sam Altman, the boss of OpenAI, said on December 9 that they waited to bring Sora to Europe because they had to follow strict rules there. The EU has tougher laws about how AI can be used and how people’s data is protected compared to places like the U.S. Altman also warned that some future OpenAI tools might take longer to reach Europe, and some might not be available there at all because of these rules.
So, what does Sora do? It can make videos based on things like written words, photos, or even videos you give it. If you pay for the basic “Plus” plan, you can create up to 50 videos a month. These videos are in standard quality and last about 20 seconds each. If you pay more for the “Pro” plan, you get even more videos and better options.
OpenAI added some safety features to Sora in December. They want to make sure people don’t misuse it. For example, every video has a hidden mark to prove it was made by Sora, and there’s a visible watermark (like a logo) on it too. Right now, they’ve paused making videos with real people in them while they work on stopping “deepfakes”—fake videos that look too real and can trick people.
The videos Sora makes aren’t perfect yet. Even the examples shown on Friday, made by artists, had weird things like blurry text you can’t read or strange body movements that don’t look natural. Altman promised in December that Sora will improve a lot over time.
Other companies are also working on video-making tools like Sora. For example, Google has one called Veo, and Adobe has one called Firefly. It’s a busy field with lots of competition.
In short, Sora is now open to more people in Europe and the UK, but it’s still new and growing. It’s exciting, but there are rules and challenges to figure out as it gets better.
