The Sora OpenAI app will now let you turn almost anything into a reusable avatar for AI-generated videos. These “character cameos” is one of several new features added to the Sora 2 video generator, alongside clip linking and leaderboards showcasing the most popular videos and scenes in the app.
Last week we were teased with character appearances that build on an existing feature that allows Sora users to create their own AI fakes that can be used by everyone else on the platform if allowed. The same capabilities can now be used for other topics such as pets, illustrations and toys, and the feature will launch with a selection of pre-made characters that users can add to videos.
“Once created, each character has its own permissions, independent of your personal likeness: keep it just for yourself, share it with mutual followers, or open it to everyone on Sora,” says OpenAI in the latest news about Sora’s release. “Give your character a display name and nickname, and tag them when you want them to appear in your video.”
OpenAI says character cameos can be created using “original personas” that users generate in Sora, but it’s unclear whether this feature will accept fictional characters generated using other AI tools or how photorealistic they can be. If you could just upload any AI-generated person, OpenAI didn’t explain how Sora would distinguish them from images of real people. The update will roll out days after celebrity video platform Cameo hit OpenAI with a trademark infringement lawsuit over its use of “cameos” in Sora app features.
Sora is also introducing video stitching features that let you combine multiple videos to create longer multi-scene clips, and leaderboards showing the most remixed videos and the most featured users and characters. OpenAI has temporarily released The Sora app is more accessible to encourage people to use these features, announcing yesterday that people in the US, Canada, Japan and Korea can register without an invite code for a “narrow time.”