Update: This article has been updated to include a statement from OpenAI.
For a short time on Tuesday, a group of angry artists shared a tool that allows anyone to use OpenAI’s official unreleased Sora AI model, which takes text prompts and turns them into videos.
In an open letter titled “Dear Champions of Enterprise AI,” accompanied by an illustration of a person holding up a middle finger, the artists offer early access to Sora to test the product and become a creative partner. It is written that it was done. Rather, they believe that OpenAI wanted to use hundreds of unpaid AI artists like themselves to “art wash” its exploitative business model.
“Hundreds of artists provide unpaid labor through bug testing, feedback, and experimental work on programs for a company valued at $150 billion,” the group wrote on the AI model hosting platform Hugging Face. “Hundreds of people will donate for free, but a few selected through a contest will have films produced by Sola screened. The rewards pale in comparison to the substantial PR and marketing value OpenAI receives. It’s minimal compensation.”
This letter was written by 16 artists who say they are not opposed to using AI as an artistic tool, and in fact many of them are early adopters of AI in their work, but early access He said he felt it was necessary to protest. The program seemed more like a public relations strategy than an opportunity to freely try out and critique the tool. Videos created using the tool had to be approved by OpenAI before they could be shared.
“What we disagree with is how this artist program is being rolled out and how this tool is being prepared prior to general release,” the group wrote. “We are sharing this with the world in the hope that OpenAI will become more open and artist-friendly and support the arts beyond PR.”
The tools posted on Hugging Face no longer work, and a note added to the beginning of the letter states that OpenAI has temporarily ended its Sora early access program for artists.
“Sora is still in research preview and we are working to balance creativity with robust safety measures for broader applications,” said Open AI spokesperson Taya Christianson. wrote in a statement to Gizmodo after this article was originally published. “Hundreds of artists in Alpha have shaped the development of Sora and helped prioritize new features and safety measures. Participation is voluntary and there is no obligation to provide feedback or use the tools. We are excited to provide free access to these artists and will continue to support them through grants, events, and other programs. We believe that AI can be a powerful creative tool. Sora We are committed to making it convenient and safe.”
OpenAI teased Sora on February 15 with a web page featuring videos generated by the model and a series of tweets from CEO Sam Altman, who posted videos generated by the model to X based on crowdsourcing prompts. Altman called this a “remarkable moment,” but Sora has not yet been released for use beyond a small group of early testers, some of whom clearly disagreed with OpenAI’s desired use of effort. Some people weren’t thrilled.
In a letter, the artist group urges their peers to use open source video generation tools and urges AI companies to “compensate artists fairly, listen to true artist expression, and provide avenues for true artist expression.” ” he encouraged them.
