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OpenAI’s Sora Video AI Is Now Available Globally
The new video generation model was released yesterday, and is now available for ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers.
After months of anticipation, OpenAI’s video generation model, Sora, has officially launched for public use. Announced yesterday (Monday, December 10) the tool is accessible to ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers in the US and “most other countries” where OpenAI’s chatbot operates. For those eligible, Sora will be available for use starting later today.
The version being released, Sora Turbo, is a step up from the early preview showcased in February. OpenAI highlights its improved speed, though it still has its quirks. The company warns that the AI can struggle with “unrealistic physics” and managing intricate actions over extended durations.
When users visit the Sora landing page, they’ll find a feed of videos generated by other users. Each video includes the original prompt, giving you insights into how the footage was created. From there, you can choose to remix the content, incorporate it into your own project, or re-cut it entirely.
Currently, Sora’s video capabilities are capped at 1080p resolution and a maximum length of 20 seconds. While these limits may feel restrictive to some, they’re in place as OpenAI continues refining the model.
Every Sora video comes with a visible watermark and embedded C2PA metadata, making it easier to verify authenticity. OpenAI is taking a firm stance on safety, prohibiting the creation of criminal content and deepfakes.
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Even if you don’t have a ChatGPT subscription, you can still browse Sora’s website to view content others have created. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared during a livestream that Sora’s release in Europe and the UK might take some time due to region-specific regulatory considerations.
Plans And Pricing
ChatGPT Plus subscribers can create up to 50 videos per month at 480p resolution. Alternatively, they can produce fewer, shorter clips in 720p. The Pro plan, on the other hand, offers significantly greater flexibility, including 10 times the usage limits and the ability to generate higher-quality videos of longer durations. OpenAI has also teased that customized pricing for various user needs will roll out early next year.
News
Abu Dhabi’s Robot Kitchen Is Serving Up Biryani, Not Burgers
Circus SE wants to put a tiny automated factory inside the buildings where Gulf residents live and work, bypassing part of last-mile delivery.
The most telling thing about a new autonomous kitchen now running in Abu Dhabi’s Marina Square is what it won’t cook:
“We don’t do fast food,” says Nikolas Bullwinkel, Founder and CEO of Circus SE. “We’ve actively decided not to build a machine that can only do burgers”.
Instead, the CA-1 system is built around pot-based cooking: curries, pastas, soups and rice dishes. After experimenting with highly personalized recipes, Circus deliberately leaned back toward recognizable food. “We’re going with a chicken biryani because you know it,” Bullwinkel says of the AED 40 dish.
The Germany-based robotics and food technology company operates across eight countries, and Abu Dhabi is its first deployment outside Europe. More locations are expected there and in Dubai.
In Germany, its units can be placed in supermarkets, gas stations, airports and hospitals. In the Gulf, Bullwinkel wants them inside residential and office buildings, replacing some of the complexity of last-mile delivery. “We’re basically bringing a very tiny factory a few square meters into your building,” he says. Catering company Royal Prestige supplies the ingredients and knowledge of local tastes.
The CA-1 manages up to 36 refrigerated ingredient silos alongside automated induction cooking, robotic plating and a self-cleaning dishwasher. Two robotic arms move ingredients through the system with minimal human intervention. It can produce up to 120 hot meals an hour, and a meal such as rice and curry can take around three to four minutes.
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Five cameras and multiple sensors monitor heat, temperature and consistency, an attempt to approximate what a chef perceives. “You can hear something gets burned, you can smell it, you can see it at some point,” Bullwinkel says. CircusOS, the company’s operating system, adjusts recipes in real time.
You might think of the platform as a threat to kitchen staff, but Bullwinkel frames Circus as a way for chefs to develop recipes and distribute them at scale. With that being said, rising labor costs and shortages are also part of his case for automation.
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