In the ongoing battle for dominance in the realm of artificial intelligence, OpenAI has fired a new shot with the introduction of its impressive text-to-video AI tool called Sora. Though still in its early stages and available only to a select group of researchers, academics, and visual artists, the tool has already generated captivating video content.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently shared several videos created using prompts submitted by users of the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
Text-to-video creation has become a fiercely competitive field, with tech giants like Alphabet's Google and Meta Platforms (owner of Facebook) vying to showcase their own AI tools. These tools hold the potential to be sold to advertisers and content creators. However, concerns over the malicious use of deepfake videos have led these companies, along with OpenAI, to proceed with caution and limit access to their technology.
"OpenAI's latest model, capable of generating polished 60-second videos, demonstrates their commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI development and consistently setting new benchmarks in the industry," commented Macquarie analyst Frederick Havemeyer in a research note.
Sora-Generated Videos and OpenAI's Web-Search Tool
The Sora-generated videos have captivated audiences with their undeniable cool factor. However, an even more groundbreaking development has come to light. According to an insider familiar with the matter, OpenAI is in the process of developing a web-search tool, with support from Microsoft’s Bing. This new endeavor poses a direct challenge to Google's core business, following in the footsteps of ambitious start-ups like Perplexity that seek to disrupt the search-engine domain.
OpenAI has yet to comment on this report, but the implications are significant. The stock of Alphabet, Google's parent company, experienced a 0.4% rise in premarket trading on Friday, rebounding after a 2.2% decline the previous day.
Meta Faces Opposition to Monthly Fee for Facebook and Instagram
On another front, Meta (formerly known as Facebook) is encountering backlash over its monthly fee implementation in the European Union. Users are now required to pay a fee in order to access Instagram and Facebook without being exposed to personalized advertising based on their user data. This move was prompted by the EU's demand for greater user autonomy in personalized advertising.
In response, 28 non-governmental organizations and consumer rights' groups have publicly voiced their opposition. They implored the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) to reject Meta's model. Consequently, the EDPB will issue a binding opinion on this matter following requests from privacy watchdogs in the Netherlands, Norway, and Hamburg.
As of now, Meta has not provided any comments regarding this public letter. The premarket trading performance of its shares remained relatively stable on Friday.
The Battle for Privacy in the Age of AI
Given the accelerating pace of AI advancements, we can anticipate a surge in privacy-related disputes. Tech giants are becoming increasingly thirsty for data to fuel their models, setting the stage for more conflicts in the future.
