OpenAI’s Sora App Sparks Misinformation Concerns

OpenAI’s new social media app, Sora, is raising concerns over potential misuse.

Sora enables users to produce authentic AI video content through text inputs which display as TikTok-like AI-generated video clips.

Bloomberg reporter Rachel Metz successfully generated videos which made her manager appear to perform outrageous actions such as employee dismissals and car destruction during her first attempts.

She said the clips “could easily cause someone to lose their job, and it only took me a few minutes to create them using OpenAI’s latest product.”

The app features Cameo as a tool which enables users to embed realistic digital versions of themselves and their contacts and public figures including OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman into video content. The feature exists for creating humorous memes yet users can use it to generate realistic fake video content.

Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security, warned the app could be used for scams, bullying, and spreading misinformation. She said, “It creates a strange sense of plausible deniability while at the same time also creating fake evidence,” as reported by Bloomberg.

OpenAI recognized the potential dangers through their statement which stated that “Our usage policies prohibit misleading others through impersonation, scams, or fraud, and we take action when we detect misuse,” reported Bloomberg. The company implemented watermarking technology for draft clips during their development of new solutions to stop users from recording draft content which did not have AI detection at that time.

Social media content creation has taken a new path through Sora because AI-generated content now appears frequently on social media platforms.

Meta Platforms’ recent launch of a similar AI video feed called Vibes shows the competition to boost engagement, but also underscores broader concerns about the “muddying” of the information ecosystem. Bloomberg reported that Tobac said, “It will lead to a lot of the enshittification of social media”.

AI video applications gain more users but experts state that platforms need to find a balance between user interaction and safety measures and clear disclosure practices and false information prevention.