It barely survived half a year. OpenAI is shutting down the Sora video generation app, which was a hit at launch

Do you remember when we wrote about the new Sora app in October, which we called “the perfect place for brainwashing”? TikTok full of AI-generated videos, where Sam Altman promised a “Cambrian explosion of creativity”? Not even half a year has passed, and OpenAI is definitively shutting down the app. The company seemingly wants to focus on developing technologies that have real benefits.

The app is ending, the technology might survive

OpenAI confirmed on the social network X that it is discontinuing both the Sora mobile app and API access for developers. The company promised to soon publish a detailed shutdown schedule and instructions on how users can preserve their work. Image generation in ChatGPT remains unchanged, and it is possible that the video generator will eventually move there.

We’re saying goodbye to the Sora app. To everyone who created with Sora, shared it, and built community around it: thank you. What you made with Sora mattered, and we know this news is disappointing.

We’ll share more soon, including timelines for the app and API and details on…

— Sora (@soraofficialapp) March 24, 2026

The original post on X spoke of the termination of “Sora” as such, but was subsequently edited to “Sora app”. This suggests that the technology itself may not completely disappear, but will likely reappear elsewhere. If it were only available in ChatGPT, OpenAI would probably save computational power. The tool might not be as easily accessible for users who just want to play around with video creation.

No more playing, it’s time to create real value

Why such a sudden end? OpenAI stated in a statement to BBC that it is discontinuing Sora to focus on robotics, which is intended to “help people solve real, physical tasks.” The BBC further reports that OpenAI will no longer be developing video generation tools and instead wants to create so-called “agentic” technologies – AI capable of autonomously performing tasks with minimal human supervision.

The company plans to use insights from Sora’s development for robot training. Teaching AI to understand the laws of physics and the movement of objects in video has a direct connection to robotic systems that must navigate the real world.

Money is also behind the decision

According to PCMag, economic reasons also played a role. Operating the video generator was extremely demanding on computational capacity – the company was apparently burning millions of dollars monthly on a free app that, in the US App Store, had dropped from first place to 172nd position. There is also speculation about a connection to OpenAI’s planned IPO, where a loss-making project would not look good.

Partnership with Disney also falls through

With the discontinuation of Sora, the three-year licensing agreement with Disney, concluded in December 2024, also falls through. This agreement allowed users to create AI videos with over 200 characters from the Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars portfolios. It was the first such agreement between a major Hollywood studio and an AI company – and now it’s dead before it truly began to function.

A Disney representative told the BBC that the company “respecs OpenAI’s decision to exit the video generation space” and will continue to seek ways to responsibly utilize AI technologies while respecting intellectual property and creators’ rights.

Competition remains

The Sora app is still functional and available for download for now. However, strong competition remains in the AI video generator market – China’s Seedance from ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) or Google Veo 3, which continue to offer similar services. The irony is that OpenAI wanted to compete with TikTok using its own weapons, but ultimately backed away.

Were you surprised by Sora’s discontinuation, or did you expect it?

Sources: BBC, PCMag, 9to5Google