OpenAI's "limited edition" Sora is popular, reaching the top of Apple's US App Store on the fourth day of its launch

Although it is a "limited edition" that can only be used by invited users and is only launched in two countries, OpenAI's AI video generation application - Sora, launched this week, has shown high popularity.

On Friday, October 3rd, Eastern Time, Sora topped the free app chart in the Apple App Store in the United States on its fourth day of launch, surpassing Google's Gemini and OpenAI's flagship app ChatGPT, demonstrating strong consumer demand for AI video tools.

Sora officially landed on the Apple App Store this Tuesday, allowing users to generate short videos, re-edit videos created by other users, and publish them to shared feeds. The app is currently only available in the United States and Canada, and users need an invitation code to use it. According to Appfigures, which provides app data and analysis, Sora's download volume on the first day was 56,000, with even more downloads the next day, totaling 164,000 installations in the first two days.

The rapid rise in downloads and rankings of the Sora app indicates that AI video generation is becoming a new hotspot for consumer applications. Bill Peebles, the head of Sora, stated on social media on Friday: "It is astonishing to see the manifestation of human collective creativity, and the team is rapidly iterating and listening to feedback."

However, some controversial content that has appeared on the Sora app, including videos depicting OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shopping, has raised doubts about its practicality and legality.

Sora's Download Performance Surpasses Most AI Applications

According to comparative analysis by Appfigures, Sora's first-day download performance ranks in the middle among major AI applications. The iOS applications of ChatGPT and Gemini achieved first-day download volumes of 81,000 and 80,000 respectively, showing stronger performance. Sora is tied with xAI's Grok, both with first-day downloads of 56,000.

In contrast, the performance of Anthropic's Claude and Microsoft's Copilot was relatively weak, with first-day downloads of 21,000 and 7,000 respectively.

In terms of app rankings, ChatGPT reached the first position on its second day of launch, while Sora ranked third on its second day. On the same second day of launch, Grok ranked fourth, Gemini ranked sixth, Copilot ranked nineteenth, and Claude ranked seventy-eighth.

Considering that Sora is currently still invitation-only, limited to iOS devices, and only available to the U.S. and Canadian markets, its actual market potential may be even greater. If it were opened to all users, the app's download volume could significantly increase.

Technical Upgrades and Safety Considerations

Sora is equipped with OpenAI's latest video and audio generation model, Sora 2. OpenAI's blog introduces that this model can create "highly realistic" scenes and sounds. This is a technological upgrade following the initial release of the Sora model by OpenAI in February 2024 In response to potential safety concerns, OpenAI stated that it has taken corresponding measures, including allowing users to have explicit control over how their likeness is used on the platform. However, some initial video content appearing in the application has sparked controversy.

Altman acknowledged the related challenges in a social media post on Tuesday. He wrote, "It's easy to imagine the degradation of AI-generated videos, ultimately pulling us all into an algorithmically optimized stream of junk information. The team has invested a lot of effort and energy trying to create a product that is enjoyable and won't fall into this trap, and has proposed some promising ideas."

Market Prospects and Competitive Landscape

The success of Sora indicates a strong consumer demand for AI video tools, especially in terms of social networking experiences.

By this Friday, OpenAI occupied two of the top three spots in the free app rankings on the Apple App Store, highlighting its leadership position in the consumer AI application space.

The rapid success of the Sora App also reflects a trend of AI video generation technology shifting from professional tools to consumer applications. Although facing challenges in safety and content quality, Sora's market performance provides a positive signal for the commercialization prospects of AI video apps