Sora represents OpenAI's ambitious journey into video generation. Here's the complete story from its initial reveal to the latest Sora 2.

2024: The Original Sora

In February 2024, OpenAI announced Sora — a text-to-video model that could generate up to 60 seconds of video from text descriptions. It was called the "GPT-1 moment for video generation."

Key capabilities:
- 60-second video generation
- 1080p resolution
- Impressive object permanence
- Basic physics simulation

Limitations:
- Physics wasn't always accurate
- Objects would morph or disappear
- Limited public access

2025: Sora 1 Turbo

An improved version with:
- Faster generation
- Better quality
- Expanded public access
- Still limited physics accuracy

2026: Sora 2

Released in May 2026, Sora 2 is a massive leap forward:

Breakthroughs:
- Physics accuracy dramatically improved
- Realistic object interactions
- Audio generation (speech + sound effects)
- Cameo feature (insert yourself into videos)
- Storyboard editing
- 25-second videos (Pro: 4K)
- Free tier available

OpenAI described it as "the GPT-3.5 moment for video."

What's Next

Based on OpenAI's trajectory, future Sora versions will likely bring:
- Longer videos (60s+)
- Better multi-scene consistency
- More precise user control
- API access for developers

Impact

Sora's evolution shows how quickly AI video generation is advancing. The gap between AI-generated and real video is narrowing rapidly. Sora 2's physics improvements make generated content actually useful for real-world applications.