December 18, 2024 – OpenAI has clarified today that it currently has no plans to release an Application Programming Interface (API) for its video generation model, Sora. This model has the capability to generate videos based on text and images.
During an online question-and-answer session with members of the OpenAI development team, Romain Huet, the head of developer experience at OpenAI, explicitly stated, “We do not have plans to launch a Sora API at this time.”
Previously, due to an overwhelming response, OpenAI had to abruptly close the application process for its video creation and editing suite based on Sora. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, publicly apologized on social media platform X, admitting that they had “severely underestimated the demand for Sora” and assuring that they were “working on ways to make it available to everyone as soon as possible.” Notably, OpenAI reopened the registration for Sora a few days ago.
OpenAI’s decision to postpone the launch of the Sora API might put them at a disadvantage in the competition with their main rivals. For instance, Google, their primary competitor, released a limited access API for their video generation model, Veo, in early December. This week, Google also announced that an API for Veo 2, an upgraded version of Veo that gained popularity due to its high-quality output, will be launched sometime in 2025.
Meanwhile, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has also provided an API for its recently launched Nova Reel video model. Additionally, numerous startups focused on generative video technology are offering APIs for their models. One such company, Runway, claims that its API is already being used by “the world’s largest consumer technology company to reliably generate millions of videos for its users.”
