OpenAI Angers Artists That Like It (2024)

Happy Wednesday folks,

Don't forget there's a holiday in the US on Thursday—and kind of also Friday—so no newsletter for the rest of this week. That’s why you free folks are getting it a day early.

I’ve included a clear explanation of the OpenAI Sora leak, which I think has caused some confusion. Hopefully, this clears things up for you.

Also, Singapore is fast becoming the focus of autonomous vehicle innovation precisely because it’s small and doesn’t have enough people. I’ll explain.

Happy American Thanksgiving!

Tom

Big Story

The OpenAI Sora Leak: Artists Protest and Public Release

On Tuesday, a group of artists who had been given early access to OpenAI's Sora video generator released a version of the tool publicly on Hugging Face. This version used their tokens to give anyone access to Sora. The tool can generate up to 60 seconds of video from a text prompt, although the leaked version could only generate up to 10 seconds at 1080p.

Along with the release, 19 artists wrote an open letter saying:

“We received access to Sora with the promise to be early testers, red teamers, and creative partners. However, we believe instead we are being lured into ‘art washing’ to tell the world that Sora is a useful tool for artists. ☠️ we are not your: free bug testers, PR puppets, training data, validation tokens ☠️”
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The artists accused OpenAI of using them as unpaid labor, pointing out that only a few of the testers would have their creations screened publicly. They added:

“We are not against the use of AI technology as a tool for the arts (if we were, we probably wouldn’t have been invited to this program). What we don’t agree with is how this artist program has been rolled out and how the tool is shaping up ahead of a possible public release. We are sharing this to the world in the hopes that OpenAI becomes more open, more artist-friendly, and supports the arts beyond PR stunts.”

OpenAI responded by suspending all access to Sora and issuing a statement:

“Sora is still in research preview, and we’re working to balance creativity with robust safety measures for broader use. Hundreds of artists in our alpha have shaped Sora’s development, helping prioritize new features and safeguards. Participation is voluntary, with no obligation to provide feedback or use the tool.”

OpenAI also claimed that only a few of the artists who signed the letter were part of its early access program.

The main point of contention seems to be whether OpenAI was pressuring artists to promote Sora positively. OpenAI says its restrictions were for confidentiality and safety reasons. This feels to me like idealistic creatives clashing with a corporation that—despite its name—has become more secretive and cautious in its operations.

Neither side is entirely wrong. OpenAI fears legitimate theft of its advances as a market leader, while artists believe openness and support for creatives lead to better outcomes and public perception. If OpenAI is losing the support of artists who don’t outright oppose AI, it’s time for some recalibration.

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