OpenAI is gearing up to embed its video generation model, Sora, directly within ChatGPT, aiming to revive interest in the technology and expand its chatbot’s capabilities, according to The Information. Launched in September 2023 with its second version, the standalone Sora app was initially hailed as a major success but has since seen user engagement decline due to limits on how many videos and what types users can create.
Integrating Sora into ChatGPT could give the video generator a ”second life” while boosting ChatGPT’s already massive user base. OpenAI reported ChatGPT had about 900 million weekly active users as of February 2024, with plans to surpass one billion. Adding native video generation would position ChatGPT closer to rivals like Google’s Bard or Meta’s AI tools, which increasingly incorporate multimedia content.
Sora video generator integration within ChatGPT
The original Sora app will continue to exist even after its core technology is integrated into ChatGPT. However, its popularity has waned-it no longer ranks in the top 100 free apps in the App Store, and only a small fraction of users share their generated videos publicly.
Cost and monetization of Sora video generation
OpenAI charges about $0.10 per second of 720p video generated via its API, though the exact internal cost to run Sora remains undisclosed. Earlier, Sora’s app allowed up to 30 free video generations daily per user. Expanding access within ChatGPT could dramatically increase compute costs as usage scales to a far larger audience.
The Information reports that OpenAI expects to spend over $225 billion on inference compute power from 2026 through 2030-the raw computational muscle needed to run models like Sora and ChatGPT.
OpenAI has already tested monetizing Sora with credit packs for extra video creations within the app. After integrating Sora into ChatGPT, a similar pay-as-you-go system may emerge. Premium features, such as creating videos with Disney characters, could further entice users to pay once free usage caps are hit.
Impact of Sora integration on ChatGPT’s growth
Whether embedding Sora will meaningfully boost ChatGPT’s popularity remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: OpenAI’s spending on running these AI models is set to skyrocket alongside expanding feature sets and user numbers.