Altman's AI Ambitions Clash with "Slop Videos" in Sora Launch

Two weeks ago, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spoke about the need for $7 trillion and 10GW of power to cure cancer. However, as of 2025-10-02T10:07:43+00:00, Altman has shifted his focus to launching a new social media app called Sora, designed for users to create and share short AI-generated videos.

Positioned as a direct competitor to TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels, Sora has quickly gained attention and sparked a wave of mixed reactions online. While some users praised the innovation, others were quick to criticize the move, even creating memes about it.

One viral post on X showed an image of Altman with the text: "I'm doing it because I love it," poking fun at the timing of the Sora launch. The post read: "Sam Altman 2 weeks ago: 'we need 7 trillion dollars and 10GW to cure cancer.' Sam Altman today: 'We are launching AI slop videos marketed as personalized ads.'"

In response to the backlash, Altman addressed the criticism directly, stating that the company still needs the capital for building AI that can do science and for their focus on Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). He also noted that it is "nice to show people cool new tech/products along the way, make them smile, and hopefully make some money given all that compute need."

Altman acknowledged that similar doubts were raised when ChatGPT first launched, with many questioning its usefulness and how it related to the company's long-term goal of AGI. He emphasized that "reality is nuanced when it comes to optimal trajectories for a company."

Following the launch, there has been a wave of AI-generated videos featuring Altman himself, which he found "way less strange to watch a feed full of memes" than he had expected.

Currently, Sora, powered by OpenAI's latest video model Sora 2, is available only on iOS and is limited to users who receive an invitation. However, those interested can apply for access through the app.