OpenAI is reportedly looking to embed its video generator Sora into ChatGPT in an effort to increase engagement with the tool.
The video generator had a stellar launch in September last year, reaching the top spot on the iOS App Store, but it has since fallen out of favour. Monthly downloads in January were down to 1.2 million, from a high of 3.2 million a month after launch.
News of the merger was first reported by The Information, which said it was part of a strategy shift inside OpenAI. The company reportedly issued a “code red” after the release of Google Gemini 3, shifting focus back to its chatbot and other sidelined projects.
At launch, Sora faced significant backlash for videos that used copyrighted material and for disrespectful depictions of historical figures, such as Martin Luther King Jr. This led OpenAI to tighten its guardrails a few weeks after launch.
The backlash came alongside concerns that video generators are uniquely positioned to enhance misinformation campaigns. This has been observed most recently during the Iran war, with both sides sharing doctored videos of missiles and casualties. OpenAI says launching the service with guardrails should mitigate bad actors.
Sora’s slide down the rankings
Furor over Sora quickly shifted to disinterest, as many of the initial installers either stopped using the app or deleted it. Unlike ChatGPT, which has hundreds of potential use cases, Sora’s uses are relatively narrow. If you are not interested in publishing videos, there is little to do on the app, and scrolling an endless feed of AI-generated content quickly becomes repetitive.
Those who remained on Sora also tend to spend far less time on it than on ChatGPT, often exporting the final video to TikTok, Instagram, or messaging services.
Even with this decline in interest, OpenAI still sees a future for Sora as a video generator and short-video platform. It signed Disney as its first content-licensing partner in December as part of Disney’s $1 billion investment into OpenAI. Few other companies in the media and entertainment industry have been willing to license their content to Sora so far.
Rivalry in the video generator market
AI developers clearly see value in the video generator market, but there are differences of opinion on how to deliver the service. Google integrated its Veo tool directly into Gemini, skipping the standalone app entirely.
Meta had a video generator called Vibes integrated into its chatbot. After the launch of Sora, it released a standalone app that functions much like Sora. Like Sora, Vibes has not set the world on fire since launch.
Adobe was one of the first to launch a video generator to the public, back in February 2025. However, it was targeted at filmmakers and video editors, which significantly reduced the potential user base. It also included enhanced guardrails to ensure the model would not be misused for misinformation.
Also read: Best platforms for sharing and editing AI images in 2026.