I think I reported on the Sora app when it launched back in October. The app, which enables users to access OpenAI's Sora generative AI platform on their phones to create short video clips, hit the headlines back then for two reasons. In one of the starkest “there's good news and bad news” stories yet to come out of AI, the good news (for OpenAI anyway) was that the launch broke all kinds of records, reaching one million downloads in just five days. That's faster than ChatGPT. In “on the other hand” news, it kind of sucked that people started swamping social media with fake video clips of dead people, like the beloved Robin Williams. And of course, even at the launch the copyright radar was working overtime.
ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway
Now, just five months later, OpenAI has announced it is shutting Sora down. The shutdown looks like it will affect not just the newly minted app but the video-generating platform behind it. The move will mean an end to the $1 billion partnership with Disney, which had granted Sora users licensing rights to create videos featuring some of the studio's characters.
Financial Pressures Drive Shutdown
The bottom line seems to be just that: the bottom line. From the figures quoted, Sora has generated $1.4 million in in-app revenue compared to ChatGPT's $1.9 billion. That's quite the difference. Shutting down a less than stellar financial part of the business seems to be a precursor to OpenAI going public sometime soon.
Audible Takes to the Skies
Thanks to Mark Williams's excellent LinkedIn newsletter for the next story, which features the continued expansion of Audible. Audible has partnered with airline giant British Airways to provide a range of audiobooks to passengers for in-flight entertainment. The deal will give passengers access to 250 hours of audiobooks. The really interesting part is that it also comes with a free two-month trial for those who discover they like it, which Audible no doubt hope will drive growth to help it keep up with Spotify (whom Williams points out already have a similar deal in place with United Airlines).
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