Sora 2 Deepfake, IP Concerns; OpenAI Adds Safeguards

OpenAI's Sora 2 is an invite-only, short-form video generator with a social feed and a "Cameos" feature that lets users insert short clips of real people into generated scenes. It rapidly climbed app charts by producing more realistic, easily generated clips, and within days feeds were flooded with copyrighted characters (Pikachu, SpongeBob, Mario), graphic violence, racist content, and convincing deepfakes. Critics say Sora 2 was trained on copyrighted material by default, placing the burden on rights holders to opt out and intensifying IP and legal concerns for studios and brands. OpenAI has added mitigations such as a moving watermark and cameo verification and says it will work with rights holders, but journalists and independent researchers report those safeguards are already being circumvented. The episode has prompted calls for stronger technical safeguards, clearer industry practices, and regulatory action to balance innovation with copyright protection and public safety.