OpenAI announced on Friday that its AI video generator Sora will now be available to users in the UK and Europe starting today, Feb.28. Users need to have a paid-for package with ChatGPT to access the text-to-video tool.
Sora was already available to ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) and ChatGPT Pro ($200/month) users elsewhere around the world from December last year.
European digital artists give Sora a trial run
The tool was originally released in the US in February 2024, sparking widespread debate in the film and TV industry of its possible effects.
At the time, filmmaker Tyler Perry stopped an $800 million expansion of his studio in Atlanta after one look at the text-to-video software Sora.
“I no longer would have to travel to locations,” Perry said then, amused by Sora’s capabilities, per the Hollywood Reporter.
“If I wanted to be in the snow in Colorado, it’s text. If I wanted to write a scene on the moon, it’s text, and this AI can generate it like nothing,” added Perry.
In its Friday announcement in a blog post, OpenAI also said Sora will be made available to users in Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland. It did not say when the rest of the world is going to get access.
“We’re working on tailored pricing for different types of users, which we plan to make available early next year.”
OpenAI.
Sora is a generative AI model that turns written descriptions into short video clips. Users provide prompts describing various scenarios, and the artificial intelligence tool compiles them into a cohesive video sequence. It was unavailable in the European Union because of regulatory hurdles.
But that has now changed. With the European release, OpenAI worked with artists from across the continent to create various pieces of content, including short films. In Britain, the San Francisco-based company worked with digital creator and technologist Josephine Miller, who generated a virtual catwalk video called “Biolume: Threads Of Light.”
“Although I understand the use of artificial intelligence is controversial and I’m aware of the conflict, I am so happy as a creative to be able to express and create my own high-end videos and short films using these tools.”
Miller.
“As previously many creatives and artists have been limited by budgets and resources not being able to have as ambitious visions like this. I really look forward to exploring these ideas further and see where it can take me,” added Miller.
Jon Uriarte, another AI artist from the UK, said: “I was surprised by how smoothly the process of developing an idea flowed. I had a clear vision of certain ‘frames,’ but as I worked on them, it became easy to imagine new ones. For me, it’s very similar to writing or daydreaming.”
OpenAI says creatives and studios in locations where Sora is already available, such as in the US, have been using the AI video generator to produce film and advertising concepts and pitches.
The company also said that, with the launch in the UK and Europe, it is releasing a new set of Sora channels on Discord for artists to share tips and inspiration and to host public Sora office hours and masterclasses.
Sora is now available to Plus and Pro users in the EU, the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein & Iceland.https://t.co/uGuYPDeyKf
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) February 28, 2025
OpenAI admits Sora generates ‘Unrealistic Physics’
Sora is accessible on desktop on sora.com. For ChatGPT Pro subscribers, the tool can generate videos up to 1080p resolution and up to 20 seconds long. The videos can be made in widescreen, vertical, or square aspect ratios, and can work from existing assets to extend, remix, or blend content.
ChatGPT Plus users can use Sora to generate up to 50 videos at 480p resolution or fewer videos at 720p each month.
However, OpenAI also admitted that Sora “often generates unrealistic physics and struggles with complex actions over long durations.”
Sora uses software like Remix, which allows the removal or reimagining of elements in an existing video, and Re-cut, which can extend frames to complete a scene.
The tool also leverages Storyboard to edit a generated sequence on a timeline; Loop, which can trim down content and create repeating videos; Blend, which can combine two videos in one clip; and Pre-sets, which can apply styles such as film noir, card, and papercraft.
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