Artificial Intelligence: Sora video generator raises concerns ahead of US elections

The creation of Sora, an AI bot capable of creating surprisingly realistic videos based on a simple written request, has raised fears of slippage in light of the US presidential election.

While he welcomes the technological advance represented by the new tool unveiled by OpenAI, Professor Christian Gagné, an AI expert who teaches in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Laval, is concerned about the impact of producing fake videos that could contain (Deep fakes) by external agents regarding the upcoming duel between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

“The biggest danger of this type of technology is the use it can make by groups with bad intentions,” he says.

“You manipulate 1 or 2 percent of the voters and are able to change the outcome of the election.”

Not accessible…at the moment

“Sora can create complex scenes with multiple characters with specific camera movements. It can understand the query launched by the user and how different elements interact in the real world.

Several sequences have been published on the company's platforms. We can see a woman walking around Tokyo, a mammoth walking in the snow, or a man exploring the salt desert.

At the moment, Sora is not yet available to the public. According to OpenAI, the tool is designed for internal use to assess its risks, especially in a context where misinformation and defamatory content frequently spread online.

He added: “We cannot stop progress. It will take us somewhere else and I am sure it will be beneficial in the medium or long term, but we are in a situation where we have to control, tame and contain the matter to avoid slippage.” “Like what we think about elections,” believes Christian Gagné.

Common sense

For ordinary people, Sora could become an entertainment tool that particularly allows for the creation of videos from old photos, Mr. Gagné cited as an example.

However, the professor believes that Sora will need more mastery.

“It produces realistic videos, but they don't necessarily respect physics or common sense. At the Sora site, archaeologists were seen extracting a plastic chair from the ground. However, we have not produced plastic for 2,000 years. In addition, what becomes anomalous is that The chair is not rigid.

With information from BFMTV.