The Sora AI video generator is already creating waves — not just because it’s generating incredibly lifelike videos that could conceivably win Oscars someday very soon. Many users are racing to go viral on what’s quickly becoming an entirely new kind of social media for creatives.
While the app’s AI clip generation has been getting most of the attention (and outrage), the social network element — a TikTok-style feed where users consume, remix and share AI-generated clips — may be the next big social media product.
Here’s how it works: After scanning your face and voice, a single prompt places your virtual self anywhere you can imagine — speaking at rallies, teaching a classroom of students, DJing in front of a crowd of thousands. Users can “friend” and follow each other and, with approval, use their friends’ likenesses and voices in videos. It’s that personal hook — seeing yourself or your friends in wild situations — that’s driving people’s obsession. And yes, Sora has already capped the number of videos you can make in a 24-hour period at 30.
The best creators already have massive followings. Sam Altman leads with nearly 50,000 followers, while Jake Paul has 11,000. And the algorithm is sharp: As someone who’s created half a dozen variations of dachshunds dancing and flying, my feed is now overwhelmingly filled with other clips of dachshunds.
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Demand has been so intense that invites — which have been capped in final beta — are selling on eBay. They’re going for under $50, but still.
The buzz around Sora is leading tech investors to bet that even though OpenAI is worth more than any private company, it may still be undervalued. One tech investor told me, ”The fact that OpenAI can take their text-to-video feature and spin up a full-scale social media app in weeks might make naysayers pause before questioning their $500 billion valuation.”
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