Understanding Sora’s impact: Will it empower or endanger creator jobs?

“It’s shocking to me,” said American film-TV entrepreneur Tyler Perry while referring to the capabilities of Sora, the text-to-video Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool introduced by OpenAI.

Sora’s impact has been immediate – Perry halted the $800-million expansion of his 330-acre studio complex in Atlanta, following the advancements in AI. “I had gotten word over the last year or so that this was coming, but I had no idea until I saw recently the demonstrations of what it is able of doing,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview, referring to Sora.

While the world is captivated by Sora’s capability to generate realistic videos, the entertainment industry is already feeling jittery. Perry cautions that the film industry faces the risk of significant job losses due to AI. According to him, it’s so malleable, and the technology is moving so quickly.

“I feel like everybody in the industry is running a hundred miles an hour to try and catch up, to try and put in guardrails and to try and put in safety belts to keep livelihoods afloat,” he says.

Will Sora revolutionise the creative process, particularly for professionals in industries like advertising, filmmaking, and content creation? How will the industry navigate issues such as copyright infringement or intellectual property concerns when using AI-generated content? What are the ethical implications?

These are pressing questions that are begging to be answered. In this two-part series, Adgully attempts to find answers to them.

A game-changer

Priyanka Chugh, Founder, Gypsy Moth, feels that Sora is a game-changer in marketing. “That’s why the introduction of Sora, OpenAI’s groundbreaking text-to-video model, has sent ripples of excitement through the industry. With Sora, the dream of effortlessly creating high-definition videos from simple prompts is now a reality, promising to revolutionise the way brands tell their stories. Sora’s ability to generate videos up to a minute long while maintaining exceptional visual quality is a game-changer for marketers. By leveraging advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) and computer vision, Sora interprets prompts with unparalleled accuracy, crafting scripts and selecting visuals that perfectly capture the brand's message and ethos.”

Chugh reckons that the release of previous text-to-video models has already hinted at the potential of this technology, but Sora takes it to a whole new level.

“Its state-of-the-art capabilities promise to streamline video production workflows, saving both time and resources for marketing teams worldwide. Initial reactions to Sora’s sample outputs have been overwhelmingly positive within the marketing community. Sora has the potential to transform how brands communicate with their audience. With its ability to generate captivating videos from simple prompts, Sora empowers marketers to create engaging content at scale, which can make it easier for brands to ramp up their storytelling efforts,” she adds.

Sora, by seamlessly integrating cutting-edge technology, revolutionises the creative process by aiding professionals and craters in idea generation, workflow optimisation, etc., observes Mayank Vora, Co-Founder & Director, Logicloop.

“It will enhance collaboration, and empower creators to explore new dimensions of innovation. Speaking of innovation, we as creative agencies should be careful about copyright and intellectual property issues with AI-generated content demanding a careful industry strategy. Establishing strong guidelines for attribution, and ownership, and staying updated on legal changes is crucial,” he adds.

According to him, Sora’s inputs assist creators in refining brand references, ensuring a shared vision between creators and brands. “Professionals need to fine-tune prompts for optimal results. Collaborative efforts among industry players, legal professionals, and tech developers are vital to setting ethical standards and ensuring the responsible use of AI-generated content within legal boundaries.”

Sora will surely revolutionise the creative process in the industry, bringing far more to it than previous models did, opines Prateek Sethi, Founder, Trip Creative Agency. According to Sethi, it has great potential for development of campaigns, stock footage, imagery and will also help with the pre-visualisation process.

“This will allow professionals to envision and develop brand creative and campaign imagery more effectively. However, navigating legal concerns related to copyright infringement and intellectual property remains unclear. As of now, everyone works under the assumption that anything machine-generated cannot be protected by copyright because it is part of a control network that may contain data from unidentified sources. So, resolution for such legal concerns will likely require government intervention. Despite these challenges, Sora presents an exciting opportunity for creative professionals to express ideas not only in customer-facing contexts, but also for internal development within organisations,” he says.

Sora presents a revolutionary leap in the creative process, particularly for professionals in industries like advertising, filmmaking, and content creation, says Sachin Kumar, Founder, Bottle Openers.

“By transforming text descriptions into photorealistic videos, Sora offers unprecedented potential for bringing imaginative concepts to life with remarkable realism. This advancement streamlines the production pipeline, offering a quicker and more accessible method for generating visual content. However, alongside the excitement surrounding Sora’s capabilities comes a pressing concern regarding copyright infringement and intellectual property issues. As AI-generated content becomes more prevalent, navigating these legal and ethical landscapes becomes paramount. Professionals and industry stakeholders must establish clear guidelines and protocols to ensure that AI-generated content respects existing copyrights and safeguards against misuse,” says Kumar.

Neha Soman, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer, Hypergro.ai, feels that Sora’s impact on the creative process, particularly in industries like advertising, film-making, and content creation, is poised to be revolutionary. One key aspect, according to her, is the enhancement of efficiency and accessibility.

“By translating text inputs into video content, Sora drastically reduces the time and resources required to bring creative ideas to fruition. This democratises high-quality content creation, making it accessible to a broader spectrum of creators, ranging from small businesses to independent filmmakers. Moreover, Sora is positioned not to replace creativity but to act as a collaborator, providing new possibilities and inspiration. Creators can experiment with different narratives and visual styles at an accelerated pace, pushing the boundaries of their imagination. Regarding concerns related to copyright infringement or intellectual property, the industry will need to navigate these issues proactively. Clear guidelines and legal frameworks should be established to ensure responsible and ethical usage of AI-generated content, addressing potential challenges related to intellectual property concerns,” Soman adds.

(Tomorrow: Part 2 of this report will explore how creatives perceive their evolving roles with Sora’s text-to-video capabilities. Are they worried about automation replacing parts of their work, or do they view Sora as a tool that boosts creativity and allows for more innovative tasks? Ethical considerations surrounding AI will also be discussed.)