Over the past few years, AI has been at the forefront of global technological developments. From basic algorithms generating blurry, inaccurate images to models that can answer any question you seek, the advancements of AI technology have been on an exponential rise. However, even with the benefits of such powerful computing technology, it still seems that these developments are being taken too far.
Such is the case with Sora AI 2, the newest update in OpenAI’s technology. The platform, which crossed 1 million downloads in the first week of its release alone, is pushing the boundaries between what’s real and what’s artificially and procedurally generated.
Since its release on Sept. 30, users have been able to create highly realistic, short form videos just by entering a short prompt. The video and audio quality is much higher than previous AI platforms, an advancement that makes Sora-generated clips frighteningly realistic.
The product is being pushed under the claim that the new, hyper-realistic video generation can help inspire developers and content creators with more efficient methods of video design. However, this creative freedom comes with serious consequences.
AI Deepfakes–digitally altered and generated images of people without their consent–are already a problem. With Sora 2, the boundaries are being pushed even further — content that was once clearly AI generated is now difficult to tell apart from real videos.
“It’s weird because you never know what could be AI these days,” junior Jay Wu said. “Sometimes I see videos online that look real, only to find out they’re not. It’s scary how fast it’s developing.”
With the rise of Sora and similar AI platforms, deepfakes will become an even greater issue, as plausible deniability may cease to exist now that AI videos can almost perfectly match real life. We may even see a time when court cases will be debating whether evidence is real or procedurally generated.
“It’s a cool idea on the surface, but eventually there might be legal implications. I don’t want to see a world where people are defending themselves against fake videos of things they didn’t do,” junior Momchil Yanchev said.
While this issue may still seem far-fetched, companies and major Hollywood studios have already expressed backlash against Sora for potential copyright infringement. With its almost limitless generative capabilities, industries employing human creativity such as film and media are already seeing their intellectual property copyrighted and generated by users on Sora.
One of the biggest platforms being affected by Sora currently is social media. While the AI model itself is platformed as a way to make content creation easier and more accessible, the rampant increase in AI generated content makes it much more difficult for real content to gain traction. It also allows for widespread content piracy, further devaluing actual creative voices. Many users utilize Sora to create deepfakes of deceased celebrities and famous figures, which some consider distasteful and disrespectful homages.
“Having such a wide range of creative power is really interesting, but unchecked it’s going too far,” senior Chris Wu said. “Artificial intelligence can be a beneficial tool in some cases but here, we should leave the creativity to real people.”
Whatever the case, although Sora 2 is a massive step forwards in the development of generative AI, it’s important to see the bigger picture. While unlimited generative capabilities may seem like a fun tool, the destructive properties of such technology have the internet on critical alert.
