Overview

• OpenAI released Sora 2 and an invite‑only iOS app that generates high‑definition videos with synchronized audio, multi‑shot continuity, improved physics, and lifelike ‘cameos’ created from one‑time user recordings.
• Within a day, feeds filled with AI deepfakes—many featuring CEO Sam Altman—and recognizable copyrighted characters such as Mario, Pikachu, and Lara Croft, with clips quickly spreading beyond the app.
• OpenAI says all Sora videos carry moving watermarks and embedded metadata, yet its own documentation notes metadata can be stripped and outside experts say these measures require further validation.
• Reporting indicates the system allows copyrighted material unless rights holders opt out, a stance legal scholars call risky as studios and labels weigh enforcement and potential litigation.
• The rollout, limited to U.S. and Canada on iOS with free usage caps and teen safeguards, has also exposed internal unease at OpenAI over launching a consumer entertainment feed despite stated safety goals.