OpenAI’s Sora iOS app has been downloaded more than 1 million times in under five days, said Sora head Bill Peebles, who added that the invite-only app is growing faster at launch than ChatGPT. Released on September 30, the app lets people scroll a feed of AI-made videos, create their own with the Sora 2 model, and add themselves or friends into clips through a “cameos” tool.
Early activity has included lots of memes and staffers testing the feature by swapping their faces into videos. Some users also generated copyrighted characters in ways brands wouldn’t approve of, prompting pushback and changes from OpenAI. The company says it is giving rights holders more control over how their characters appear in Sora, and it now lets users decide how their own likeness can be used.
Peebles said the team is working to keep up with the surge and will ship more features and fixes to reduce over-moderation. Sora is available only in the US and Canada for now and currently sits at the top of Apple’s App Store. The fast uptake shows strong demand for simple AI video tools, even as rules around copyright and consent are still being worked out. With social sharing built in, the app doubles as a showcase for OpenAI’s latest video model and a test of how well the company can balance growth with responsible use as its audience grows.
