Sora Will Soon Let You Make Cameos of Your Pets

Sora, OpenAI’s short-form video AI platform, has been available for iPhones for a few weeks. Users spent this time generating hyper-realistic vertical videos which, despite their watermarks, could already fool Internet users.

For my part, I don’t see anything good in a tool capable of creating these types of videos from simple prompts, perhaps apart from the novelty alone. But the application is undeniably popular and, as expected, OpenAI continues to “improve” it. On Wednesday, Sora director Bill Peebles shared a roadmap of upcoming updates for the app, from cameos for your pets to video editing tools.

Sora will soon let you make cameos of whatever you want

Peebles says “character cameos” are on the way in the coming days. When this feature becomes available, you’ll be able to create cameos with just about anything you want, including your pets (Peebles suggests your dog or guinea pig), plush toys, as well as AI-generated characters that Sora may have produced in your previous videos.

Cameos are a defining and controversial feature of Sora. It allows you to scan your image into the app so you can create videos featuring yourself. Additionally, you can remix videos with cameos from anyone else who has scanned into Sora, assuming their permissions allow you to use their cameos. It’s an impressive technology, but it raises major ethical issues, given that you can make someone else do or say things they never approved of. Now, apparently, you’ll also be able to do the same thing with the family cat or your childhood stuffed animal.

Following these additional cameo options, Peebles says you’ll be able to see “the latest trending cameos in real time.” I guess the idea is to browse the most popular cameos on the platform and, if you want, add them to your own videos.

Sora also has basic video editing tools. According to Peebles, this starts with the ability to stitch multiple clips together, although other “powerful new features” will follow. Peebles says the Sora team is also working to reduce “excessive moderation,” which he acknowledges is “very annoying” for users, as well as improving the app’s performance.

Speaking of apps, Android users will soon have the chance to try Sora. Right now, the app is only available on iOS, but the Android version of Sora is “coming soon,” Peebles says.

A reminder to be wary of what you see on the internet

As critical and cynical as I am of Sora and similar services, I can see the use here. I imagine people will appreciate being able to put their pets in any situation they want. And if they want to make fried eggs sing a song or make a stuffed animal say “hello,” more power to them.

But my main concerns about this app aren’t assuaged by any of these updates: Sora still lets you generate compelling videos with a simple prompt, with the only backup being a watermark that’s easy to remove if you know where to look. People were already falling for fake videos on the Internet before the advent of these tools; now it becomes way too difficult to know if what you are watching is real or not. If you ask me, you better assume this is all false.

Disclosure: Lifehacker’s parent company, Ziff Davis, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April, alleging that it violated Ziff Davis’ copyrights in the training and operation of its AI systems.