New AI software takes over internet

Imagine seeing Elon Musk eating pasta on top of the empire state building and you can’t tell if it’s real or not. New AI software, Sora AI, is gaining popularity by the minute. Sora is a realistic video generator that creates text prompted videos. Sora was invented by Open AI, the same company that created the widespread app, ChatGPT. Sora AI was initially released in February, 2024. When it was first released the app was not at the same standards it is today. A later, and more advanced version of Sora was then released in September, 2025. Sora AI is a very controversial app taking over the internet. 

Some believe that the app is harmful because it can spread misinformation and give certain people a bad reputation if a video is made about them. Eighth grade student at Edison Intermediate School (EIS) William Jassina stated, “It could be harmful because it could hurt someone’s feelings.” 

Also, seventh grade student at EIS Christopher Wilson said, “I don’t think it’s good for the community because it can hurt people’s feelings.”

Others think that Sora is beneficial because it can produce funny videos, and some say it can be beneficial to their learning experience. Eighth grade student Brendan Buckley stated, “It is beneficial because it can make funny humorous videos and can be used for school presentations.”

One way of being able to recognize if the video is real or fake is by looking at the watermark. Eighth grade English Language Arts teacher at EIS Kimberly Swenson stated, “I was commonly tricked by the videos. My kids told me I need to look for the watermark.” 

There has been a debate if the app should have restrictions or even be banned. Currently, Sora has a couple restrictions to maintain the app’s safety. Including trigger words or phrases. These restrictions also prevent certain videos from being made because of the actions that are requested in the prompt. 

Most people think that there should be more done to ensure safety for all the users on the app and prevent any videos from being made that can lead to a bad reputation, or even illegal videos. Seventh grader at EIS, Ezequel Adams stated, “There should be better restrictions on the app.” He believes that it will help maintain the safety of the users, and characters, on the app.

Many people have been taking the Sora AI videos and posting them on various social media platforms. These include Youtube, Instagram, and the most popular, Tiktok. These apps have millions of users actively, so many people can be fed these videos from their feed. Most students at EIS are included in social media and discovered them on Tiktok. Dylan Toomey, a seventh grader at EIS, stated, “I saw them on Tiktok, I found them pretty funny.” 

Later he stated, “They could be harmful because it can make bad videos of people and cause other people to think they are bad.”