OpenAI has laid out its strategy for monetizing Sora, the AI video generation tool, as demand for the service surges. Starting immediately, users can purchase additional video generations beyond the current daily limit of 30 free videos. The move comes after OpenAI’s leadership realized the initial free allowance was insufficient to meet overwhelming user demand. Bill Peebles, OpenAI’s head of Sora, announced the change on X, stating, “We have been quite amazed by how much our power users want to use Sora, and the economics are currently completely unsustainable. We thought 30 free gens/day would be more than enough, but clearly we were wrong!” He added that the new paid option will allow professional creators to generate as many videos as they’re willing to pay for. Ten extra videos can be bought for $4. Pro users will continue to enjoy a higher daily limit of up to 100 videos, though this number may be reduced for users who select more computationally intensive settings, Peebles clarified in a follow-up post. For now, the 30-free-video cap remains in place. However, Peebles made it clear that this limit is not permanent. “Eventually we will need to bring the free gens down to accommodate growth (we won't have enough GPUs to do it otherwise!), but we'll be transparent as it happens,” he wrote. “In the meantime, enjoy the crazy usage limits :)” Sora, powered by OpenAI’s Sora 2 model, has quickly become a viral sensation. It is currently the No. 2 most popular free app on Apple’s App Store, trailing only OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The app’s success is driven by its ability to generate high-quality, realistic video from text prompts, with a TikTok-like format that appeals to content creators. Just a day before the pro plan announcement, OpenAI introduced “Cameos,” a feature allowing users to generate AI videos featuring personalized avatars of pets, objects, or even themselves. This feature has drawn attention—and legal scrutiny. Cameo, a separate company known for celebrity-generated short videos, sued OpenAI over the use of the name “Cameos,” arguing that the term is trademarked. OpenAI has responded by asserting that no one can exclusively own the word “cameo.” The company has also faced challenges around content safety and intellectual property. In response to concerns about AI-generated depictions of real people, historical figures, and copyrighted material, OpenAI has implemented restrictions on what users can generate. The company continues to refine its content policies to prevent misuse. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has expressed concern about the potential for Sora and similar tools to become overly addictive. During a recent Q&A, he acknowledged the risks, saying, “We're definitely worried about this.” He emphasized that the company is committed to designing systems that are not only powerful but also responsible, noting that issues like addiction, manipulation, and misuse are top of mind across platforms including Sora, TikTok, and ChatGPT. OpenAI has also temporarily removed the invite-only requirement for users in the U.S. and Canada, signaling confidence in its infrastructure—though the long-term availability of free access remains uncertain. As demand grows and computing resources become a limiting factor, the company is preparing for a future where free usage is phased out in favor of tiered access.