Sam Altman defends OpenAI's Sora rollout: From ‘cure for cancer’ to AI slop videos

OpenAI has launched a new social media app called Sora, designed for users to create and share short AI-generated videos. Positioned as a direct competitor to TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels, the app quickly gained attention, sparking a wave of mixed reactions online within hours of its debut.

Some users praised the innovation, while others criticised the move, even creating memes about it. One post on X showed an image of Sam Altman with the text: “I’m doing it because I love it”, poking fun at the timing of the launch. The post read:

Sam Altman 2 weeks ago: “we need 7 trillion dollars and 10GW to cure cancer.”

Sam Altman today: “We are launching AI slop videos marketed as personalized ads”


In response, Altman addressed the backlash directly, writing: “I get the vibe here, but...we do mostly need the capital for build AI that can do science, and for sure we are focused on AGI with almost all of our research effort.”

He added: “It is also nice to show people cool new tech/products along the way, make them smile, and hopefully make some money given all that compute need.”

Altman noted that similar doubts were raised when ChatGPT first launched, with many questioning its usefulness and how it related to the company’s long-term goal of AGI. He noted: “Reality is nuanced when it comes to optimal trajectories for a company.”

Following the launch, there was not just criticism of the move but also a wave of AI-generated videos featuring Altman himself.

Responding to this, he wrote: “It is way less strange to watch a feed full of memes of yourself than i thought it would be,” adding, “Not sure what to make of this.”

Currently, Sora, powered by OpenAI’s latest video model Sora 2, is available only on iOS. It is also limited to users who receive an invitation. However, those interested can apply for access through the app.