OpenAI's video generation tool Sora 2 is holding its own near the top of app download charts, but it's also collecting a lengthy list of complaints.
Sora 2 allows anyone to create a realistic looking video from just a few lines of text, vastly improving the programme's first version that was only given limited release by OpenAI back in 2024.
Users can also upload their own headshots and record a few vocal tracks, allowing them to create videos starring themselves in just about any setting or scenario.
Yet since the launch of Sora 2 in late September, currently only in the US and Canada, that ease of use and sense of empowerment has also proven to be ripe for those with nefarious motivations.
And, in a relatively short period of time, OpenAI's video tool has also caused a rising tide of anger among content creators, entertainment companies and film studios due to claims of copyright violations.
Since its launch, Sora 2's user-generated videos of Dr Martin Luther King Jr saying offensive or racist things and perpetuating racist stereotypes have gone viral on social media, prompting his estate to demand changes.
And actor Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad fame complained of having his likeness replicated without his permission.
The complaints prompted OpenAI to work to put up guardrails for Sora 2.
Perhaps fearing an avalanche of lawsuits for copyright infringement, OpenAI changed its policy, which previously allowed for copyrighted content to be generated and used within the app unless the copyright holders opted out.
After an outcry, however, the company now requires that copyright holders opt in before their content is used.
"We will give rightsholders more granular control over generation of characters, similar to the opt-in model for likeness but with additional controls," OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman wrote on his blog.
The speed of the changes in response to complaints has become the new normal in recent years for Silicon Valley tech companies, but the potential ramifications presented by Sora, particularly at a time when worries about fake news and disinformation are rising, have many experts concerned.
Elissa Redmiles, an assistant professor of computer science at Georgetown University's centre for digital ethics, said the current potential problems posed by products like Sora 2 being rushed onto the market are just the tip of the iceberg.
She said despite guardrails, Sora 2 and similar tools like Luma AI's Ray3 or Google's Veo still make it easier for individuals to create deepfakes, potentially allowing for someone's likeness to promote ideas and products they don't endorse.
"They haven't been as careful as we would like them to be," she said, referring to OpenAI's Sora 2, adding that although OpenAI has made changes and promised to continue tweaking policy, so far many of the proclamations have been vague.
"There's been no transparency about how they're assessing likeness and it's actually not an easy problem ... and we haven't seen any publications or public transparency benchmarks about how they're trying to do this protection."
Prof Redmiles said that based on how law enforcement has shed light on AI image generation tools being misused, particularly in the context of non-consensual sexual content, young women and children could be at risk for being exploited by those who might use Sora 2 for criminal purposes.
"You're probably going to have a lot of abusive material being created," she warned.
Sarah Bargal, an assistant professor of computer science at Georgetown who specialises in deep learning and computer vision, echoed Prof Redmiles's concerns.
She said that although many draw parallels between initial concerns in the mid-90s surrounding photo editing software and video generation tools like Sora 2, those comparisons are ill-suited.
"This is really radically different," Prof Bargal explained, adding that photo-editing tools like Adobe Photoshop initially required a certain level of expertise, whereas Sora 2 only requires a few lines of text to make realistic videos that can fool even the most seasoned professionals.
She said that the latest crop of generative AI tools "significantly lower the bar" for creating content often out of nothing, creating a perfect storm for misuse and confusion.
Prof Bargal did caution, however, that eventually fake video detection tools would improve and make videos created with AI much easier to identify.
For every step in the right direction though, she said that the quickening pace of AI developments might hasten a greater number of problems before lawmakers and mental health experts can catch up.
“I am concerned by the yet-to-be matched pace in social science policies, law and other very important and connected disciplines,” she added.
Much like the early apps which gave us the social media boom, the novelty of new technology and a fear of missing out keeps propelling apps like Sora 2 to the top of various app stores, with many choosing to push aside concerns about the problems that might arise.
Prof Bargal also said the rise of Sora 2 also might signal the end of a precedent established over the last few decades of media consumption, in which videos were mostly "treated as proof".
"Nowadays we are becoming more sceptical of the of the videos that we are seeing," she said, before adding that technology might eventually make discernment between real and fake easier. "Models that are trained to detect fake generations are improving."
Prof Bargal cautioned that social media and technology must implement them as well for them to be effective. She also said that some of the burden might also fall on users as well as experts, to keep voicing concerns.
"I think the consistent conversation between big tech companies, social science experts and policy makers needs to be happening continuously."
In a recent interview with technology journalist Rowan Cheung, OpenAI chief Sam Altman defended the company's decision to release Sora 2 and continuously make changes on the fly.
"I think we'll learn to adapt, and we'll learn very quickly that there will be a lot of fake video of you on the internet," he said, pointing out Sora 2's use of watermarks on all of the tool's videos.
"That's just gonna happen, so getting society inoculated to that probably has some value."
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
ICC Intercontinental Cup
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (captain), Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Saqlain Haider, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Naveed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Boota, Amir Hayat, Ashfaq Ahmed
Fixtures Nov 29-Dec 2
UAE v Afghanistan, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Hong Kong v Papua New Guinea, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Ireland v Scotland, Dubai International Stadium
Namibia v Netherlands, ICC Academy, Dubai
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
The%20specs
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Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500
'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
MEYDAN RESULTS
6.30pm Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh125,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer).
7.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Galaxy Road, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
7.40pm Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Al Modayar, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh170,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner George Villiers, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 (D)1,200m
Winner Lady Parma, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Zaajer, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea Morata (69'), Luiz (88')
Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39')
Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
Ferrari
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
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SPECS
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (11.30pm)
Saturday Freiburg v Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund, Cologne v Wolfsburg, Arminia Bielefeld v Mainz (6.30pm) Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig (9.30pm)
Sunday Werder Bremen v Stuttgart (6.30pm), Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (9pm)
Monday Hoffenheim v Augsburg (11.30pm)
