OpenAI's Sora now sits at #71 in the US App Store and #108 on Play Store (spencerdailey.com)

OpenAI's newly launched Sora app, which allows users to generate and share AI-created videos, has rapidly captured attention, reaching #71 on the US App Store and #108 on the Play Store within weeks of its invite-only launch on September 30. Within just five days, Sora amassed over one million downloads and later achieved one million daily active users after easing its invite restrictions and expanding to Android, amassing 470,000 installs on its debut day. This rapid growth has sparked debates in the AI/ML community regarding the implications of replacing human-generated content with AI, with many prominent creators expressing concerns about the future of creativity and intellectual property rights. Significantly, Sora's launch approach—minimal guardrails and a viral marketing strategy reminiscent of early social media giants—has provoked discussions about the societal impact of AI-generated content. While some view this as an exciting evolution in creative expression, others fear it could undermine human content creators. Sora’s initial success has also become a key talking point in OpenAI's ongoing funding discussions, contributing to a $1 billion investment from Disney. However, user engagement appears to be waning, as daily active users fell to 750,000 by December, and average usage dropped significantly compared to platforms like TikTok. This raises intriguing questions about the future viability of apps predicated on AI-generated “slop” and what audiences truly prefer in their content feeds.