OpenAI’s Sora appears to have leaked

A group has reportedly gained unauthorized access to OpenAI's video generation tool, Sora, in protest of what they describe as "duplicity" and "art washing" by the company. On Tuesday, the group released a project on the AI development platform Hugging Face that appears to be connected to OpenAI’s Sora API, which is not yet available to the public. By using authentication tokens — likely obtained through an early access program — the group developed a user interface that allows others to generate videos with Sora's technology.

Using the group’s frontend, any user can generate 10-second videos up to 1080p resolution. When TechCrunch tried, the queue was quite long — but several users on X managed to upload samples.

Try it here: https://huggingface.co/spaces/PR-Puppets/PR-Puppet-Sora

The group behind the leak claims their actions were motivated by OpenAI's treatment of early testers in its Sora program. According to the group, OpenAI is pressuring these testers—who include red teamers and creative partners—to create a positive narrative around Sora without fairly compensating them for their contributions. They argue that hundreds of artists are providing unpaid labor through bug testing, feedback, and experimental work for a $150 billion company. The group believes that the early access program prioritizes public relations over creative expression, with OpenAI more focused on advertising than genuinely supporting the arts.

They also accuse OpenAI of being misleading about Sora’s capabilities, claiming the company is controlling what gets shared by requiring every piece of output to be approved by OpenAI before it can be shown to the public. Only a select few creators are allowed to have their work showcased. The group asserts that they support the use of AI in the arts but object to how OpenAI is rolling out the program and the restrictions placed on early access users. They hope their actions encourage OpenAI to become more transparent, artist-friendly, and supportive of the arts beyond mere public relations efforts.

Since its debut earlier this year, Sora has faced technical challenges as competitors in the video generation space have been rapidly advancing. One significant setback came when Tim Brooks, a co-lead on the Sora project, left OpenAI for Google in October. OpenAI’s chief product officer, Kevin Weil, mentioned in a Reddit AMA that Sora’s progress was delayed by the need to refine the model, ensure safety, address impersonation risks, and scale compute. Initially, the system was slow, taking over 10 minutes to process a 1-minute video clip.

The leaked version of Sora seems to be an improved, "turbo" variant, according to findings from code shared on social media. Meanwhile, OpenAI has faced increasing competition from other companies. Runway, for example, partnered with Lionsgate to train a custom video model using the studio's catalog, while Stability, developing its own video generation models, secured a partnership with "Avatar" director James Cameron.

Despite OpenAI’s efforts to build partnerships, including meetings with filmmakers and Hollywood studios earlier this year, they have yet to announce any collaborations with major production houses, leaving space for competitors to gain traction in the industry.