OpenAI’s Sora leaked online over “unpaid labor,” artists say

A group of early testers released an unauthorized leak of OpenAI‘s text-to-video generator, Sora, online, citing grievances over “unpaid labor” and exploitation of creative professionals.

The leak, which appeared on the AI platform Hugging Face under the username PR-Puppets, has ignited a debate on technological innovation, ethical labor practices, and intellectual property rights, with some 380 verified artists and creators from around the world already having signed the accompanying petition.

Access to this early version of Sora was shut down by OpenAI after three hours, however, many individuals had a chance to test it out and generate AI videos, which are now being shared online, including on X (formerly Twitter). One Hugging Face user has archived over 80 videos, providing download links to the videos and their prompt.

Developed by OpenAI, which recently moved to a for-profit model, this “diffusion model” AI is capable of transforming text prompts into high-fidelity videos of up to one minute in length. The model leverages techniques from various AI systems to offer precise text-to-visual alignment.

According to discussions on Hugging Face, Sora is described as “a mesmerizing display of technical prowess,” praised for its ability to produce “visually coherent narratives” that mark a significant milestone in generative AI.

The leak was orchestrated by a group of beta testers, many of whom are visual artists and filmmakers. Posting under the name Sora PR Puppets, the group released the model alongside an open letter addressed to “Corporate AI Overlords.”

They allege that OpenAI, currently valued at over $150 billion, exploited their labor by relying on unpaid or undercompensated contributions to refine Sora.

“This wasn’t just about unpaid work—it was about respect,” noted one anonymous contributor on Hugging Face. “OpenAI treated our input like raw material, not creative expertise. It’s not collaboration; it’s extraction.”

The group contends that artists were invited to provide feedback and experimental work without fair compensation, while OpenAI stood to gain substantial public relations and marketing value from their efforts.

“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,” said the open letter.

The group also criticized the company’s stringent control over the sharing of Sora-generated content, arguing that the early access program was more about PR and advertisement than genuine creative collaboration, saying “every output needs to be approved by the OpenAI team before sharing.”

Not all commenters on Hugging Face were supportive, however. One member posted, “You are mad, that OpenAI didn’t compensate you? While they give you free open access to their video model to go wild on and test? You get people out there are spending $1,000+ on other video AI platforms, to get half as good results as what SORA can do. Enjoy court bud, lol.”

OpenAI has previously faced scrutiny over its use of copyrighted material for training AI models, often invoking fair use as a defense. While the company asserts that Sora’s training data includes licensed and public datasets, it has been reticent about providing specifics.

This lack of transparency, coupled with ongoing lawsuits from creators and publishers, underscores the tension between technological advancement and intellectual property concerns.

However, the leak potentially undermines these efforts. As commenters on Hugging Face pointed out, “A leak of this magnitude undermines OpenAI’s efforts to enforce ethical safeguards. It puts unchecked power in the hands of anyone with access.”

“I am personally in awe of the artists who got the courage today to say no to art washing and unpaid artist labor. Tagging all the participating artists who disclosed the tool for everybody to experience,” digital art adviser Fanny Lakoubay posted on X (formerly Twitter), while naming the artists involved in the protest.

One of the beta testers, an artist collective named aurèce vettier, also took to X to post, “artists are not your unpaid R&D,” while linking to the Hugging Face page.