On February 15, 2024, OpenAI dropped a demo that made jaws drop worldwide: Sora, an AI that could generate photorealistic videos up to one minute long from simple text prompts.

Not choppy AI clips. Not obviously fake animations. Smooth, cinematic, photorealistic video that looked like it was shot with a professional camera.

What Sora Could Do

Length: Up to 60 seconds of continuous video Quality: 1080p, photorealistic Physics: Realistic object interactions, lighting, movement Complexity: Multiple characters, detailed environments, camera moves Consistency: Maintained subject appearance across the video

The demo videos were stunning—a Tokyo street scene, woolly mammoths, a submarine—all completely AI-generated.

Why It Was Different

Previous AI video tools created short, glitchy clips. Sora generated full scenes with:

• Realistic physics and motion
• Consistent characters and objects
• Proper lighting and shadows
• Camera movements that felt natural
• Long-form coherence

It was the GPT-4 moment for video—a clear leap forward.

The Limitations

Despite the hype, Sora had issues:

• Physics mistakes: Sometimes objects behaved unrealistically
• Generation time: Several minutes per video
• Prompt sensitivity: Required careful wording
• No public access: Red-team testing only initially

OpenAI wasn't ready to release it widely.

The Industry Reaction

Filmmakers: Excited and terrified Stock video companies: Existential threat Competitors: Scrambled to catch up (Runway, Pika) Regulators: Renewed deepfake concerns

Where Are They Now?

Sora finally launched publicly in December 2024 for ChatGPT Plus/Pro subscribers, 10 months after the announcement. The delay showed how cautious OpenAI was about releasing powerful generative video.

The technology works, but generation limits, costs, and safety concerns keep it restricted.

February 15, 2024 was when everyone realized AI video generation wasn't years away—it was here. The implications for film, advertising, content creation, and misinformation are still unfolding.