OpenAI Terminates Partnerships in Video Generation as Sora App is Discontinued

Wed Mar 25 2026 20:50:53 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

OpenAI has announced the shuttering of its video-making app, Sora, which will also lead to the end of its partnership with Disney. This move reflects a shift in focus towards more advanced AI technologies, particularly in robotics.

In a significant turn of events, OpenAI has discontinued its video-generation app Sora, which made headlines for its advanced AI capabilities. Alongside this closure, OpenAI will terminate its collaboration with Disney, which allowed the use of iconic characters in AI-generated videos. OpenAI aims to redirect efforts toward developing robotics and other advanced AI technologies, amid growing competition and concerns about copyright in the AI landscape.

OpenAI has shut down its artificial intelligence (AI) video-generation app Sora less than two years after its launch made headlines for creating realistic clips based on simple prompts.

At the same time OpenAI will also wind down its content partnership with entertainment giant Disney, the BBC understands.

OpenAI told the BBC on Wednesday that it has discontinued Sora so that it can focus on other developments, such as robotics that will help people solve real-world, physical tasks. A spokesperson for The Walt Disney Company said we respect OpenAI's decision to exit the video generation business and to shift its priorities elsewhere.

Disney will engage with other AI platforms to find ways to responsibly use the technology without infringing on intellectual property rights, a spokesperson said. OpenAI said it is shutting down both its Sora consumer app and the internet-based platform that professional install to generate videos. The firm aims to create other forms of advanced AI, including agentic technology capable of autonomously completing tasks with little human oversight.

With the closure of Sora, OpenAI will no longer focus on developing video-generation tools, although image-making features in ChatGPT are not affected. Sora launched in 2024 to huge interest due to the high quality of its AI-generated videos that looked as if a professional studio had produced them. However, the app also sparked concerns about copyright violations and the threat it posed to the media industry.

In December, Disney became the first major studio to license intellectual property to OpenAI for use in its AI video tools. The three-year deal allowed Sora users to create AI videos with Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and Yoda from Star Wars, signaling a turning point for the tech industry and Hollywood amid legal challenges regarding the use of IP.

Despite its potential, Sora faced significant competition in the AI video-making market, including threats from competitors such as China's Seedance, whose realistic AI-generated videos featuring Hollywood characters garnered viral attention.