Overview

• Sora 2 pairs a second‑generation text‑to‑video model with a TikTok‑style iOS app and synchronized audio, letting users post short clips and create opt‑in “cameo” likenesses.
• The Motion Picture Association urged OpenAI to take immediate action after Sora feeds filled with clips featuring protected film and TV characters, calling infringement the company’s responsibility to prevent.
• OpenAI reversed course from opt‑out to opt‑in for copyrighted characters and added more granular controls and prompt blocks, while placing visible watermarks and provenance signals on videos that can still be downloaded and reshared elsewhere.
• Users have widely generated depictions of deceased public figures such as Stephen Hawking and Martin Luther King Jr.; OpenAI says it allows “historical figures,” and family members like Zelda Williams have objected to such uses.
• CEO Sam Altman said users are generating far more videos than expected and that the company must monetize video creation, citing heavy compute demands and pledging revenue‑sharing options for rightsholders who permit their characters.