Artists invited to test OpenAI's Sora leak it in protest

The artists wrote an open letter accusing OpenAI of misleading and using them

While companies like Universal Music Group and SoundCloud experiment with artificial intelligence, while also pledging to remain ethical, artists are less reassured. And they aren't silent about their stating their position on the technology, nor the companies deploying it.

Case in point: OpenAI, which granted early access to roughly 300 visual artists and filmmakers to test out Sora, its new generative-AI video tool. In response, those same artists wrote an open letter entitled,  “DEAR CORPORATE AI OVERLORDS," accusing the company of treating them as, "free bug testers, PR puppets, training data, validation tokens."

"We received access to Sora with the promise to be early testers, red teamers and creative partners. However, we believe instead we are being lured into "art washing" to tell the world that Sora is a useful tool for artists," it says in the letter. 

"Hundreds of artists provide unpaid labor through bug testing, feedback and experimental work for the program for a $150B valued company. While hundreds contribute for free, a select few will be chosen through a competition to have their Sora-created films screened — offering minimal compensation which pales in comparison to the substantial PR and marketing value OpenAI receives."

Alongside the statement, the early testers released a version of the tool that the public could access, causing OpenAI to cut off access within hours. 

The letter also makes it clear that these testers are not against the use of artificial intelligence as a tool, but they are against how OpenAI rolled out this specific program and how they were treated.

"We are sharing this to the world in the hopes that OpenAI becomes more open, more artist friendly and supports the arts beyond PR stunts," they wrote.

Currently, nearly 500 people have co-signed the letter. 

In a statement to Variety, OpenAI spokesperson Niko Felix said that, “Sora is still in research preview, and we’re working to balance creativity with robust safety measures for broader use. Hundreds of artists in our alpha [testing program] have shaped Sora’s development, helping prioritize new features and safeguards. Participation is voluntary, with no obligation to provide feedback or use the tool."

“We’ve been excited to offer these artists free access and will continue supporting them through grants, events and other programs. We believe AI can be a powerful creative tool and are committed to making Sora both useful and safe.”

The use of AI in the creation of art has been mired in controversy, both from artists and fans: nearly 90% of artists believe current copyright laws do not protect them from generative AI technology and over 74% believe the current method of scraping the internet for artwork is unethical.

Movies that have been found to use AI have also come under the microscope; for example, earlier this year, the movie "Late Night With the Devil" received strong backlash from fans over the use of artificial intelligence for some of the artwork displayed in the film. 

(Image source: androidauthority.com)