Sora Sneak Peek: When Testers and AI Company Clash

Last Tuesday, things got heated between OpenAI and a group of artists known as PR Puppets after they briefly shared OpenAI's Sora video generation platform online. This leak caused a stir because it gave people a free look at Sora, which can create high-resolution videos. The group's aim was to protest what they saw as unpaid work for a big company like OpenAI. They say they were testing Sora and providing feedback without any pay. OpenAI, however, claims that being a tester for Sora was voluntary and didn't require any specific tasks. This incident shows the complicated relationship between artists and AI companies. On Tuesday morning, PR Puppets posted a link to Sora on a site called Hugging Face. AI experts on social media noticed and confirmed that this link worked, even connecting to OpenAI's servers. This got people excited, and many managed to make and share their own videos before the link was taken down within hours. OpenAI had to stop the testing to review what happened. It was fascinating to see that the leaked code hinted at different modes and styles for Sora that might be coming soon. The PR Puppets wrote an open letter to OpenAI, speaking up for about 300 artists who were given early access to Sora. They felt that they were being used for free labor, like testing bugs and giving feedback, for a company worth $150 billion. They also complained that only a few artists would get the chance to show their Sora-made films widely and that OpenAI needs to approve any sharing of alpha output publicly. This issue highlights the broader debate about the fair treatment of artists and testers in the AI industry.