“Just in time for me not to care” – OpenAI launches Sora in Europe

ChatGPT maker OpenAI has released its text-to-video generator Sora in Europe, almost three months after its launch in the US and many other countries.

Sora is now available to users in the EU and UK, the company announced in a social media post featuring an AI-generated clip of a Furby-like creature sitting in a gondola on a Venetian canal.

The model was also launched in Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland. As in the US, Sora will only be available to users who have paid ChatGPT subscriptions, either a $20-per-month ChatGPT Plus or a $200-per-month ChatGPT Pro.

A ChatGPT Plus subscription allows users to generate up to 50 priority videos – videos that can be generated faster for credit – at resolutions up to 720p, each lasting up to five seconds.

In contrast, ChatGPT Pro offers unlimited generations and up to 500 priority videos. It also supports 1080p resolution for higher-quality output and extends video duration to 20 seconds.

Sora has arrived in the EU and the UK. pic.twitter.com/vk4QynY1N8

undefined OpenAI (@OpenAI) February 28, 2025

Big American tech companies now commonly release their latest services in Europe later than in other regions due to the EU and UK’s complex regulatory environment. OpenAI was among the critics of these strict regulations, arguing they could stifle innovation.

However, advocates see them as necessary to ensure AI’s ethical use and protect consumers, while some question whether meeting specific standards before deployment is truly the cause of delays.

One user on X noted under OpenAI’s post that there were a “dozen of video generators available in the EU but it Sora over [three] months” and demanded a “reasonable” explanation for the wait.

“Too late, it’s not a super model anymore,” said another, joining a chorus of users who argued OpenAI was falling behind competitors in the AI video generation. Other reactions included “yawn” and “just in time for me not to care.”

Meanwhile, some users said it was “wonderful” news and shared clips generated by Sora based on their prompts.

Copyright concerns

Sora is launching in Europe amid a debate over copyright issues. In the UK, its rollout comes as creatives protest the government’s plan to weaken copyright protections in a bid to foster innovation and attract tech investment.

The proposed changes would allow AI developers to train their models on any material to which they have lawful access, requiring creators to proactively opt out to prevent their work from being used.

Many artists have heavily criticized these changes, arguing that they would reverse the fundamental principle of copyright law, which grants creators exclusive control over their work.

Sora’s European launch also comes after the release of GPT-4.5, a long awaited update to OpenAI’s popular chatbot. The new model is only available to ChatGPT Pro subscribers because “it is a giant, expensive model,” according to Sam Altman, the firm’s chief executive.

Altman said that “we’ve been growing a lot and are out of GPUs,” adding that the new model will rollout to subscribers of the less expensive ChatGPT Plus tier once the company adds “hundreds of thousands” of additional processors it needs.

OpenAI would release the model to ChatGPT Plus users once it adds “hundreds of thousands” of GPUs as “we’ve been growing a lot and are out of GPUs."

Sora’s European launch follows the release of GPT-4.5, a long-awaited update to OpenAI’s popular chatbot. The upgrade is currently available only to ChatGPT Pro subscribers because “it is a giant, expensive model,” according to OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman.

Altman noted that “we’ve been growing a lot and are out of GPUs,” adding that the model will roll out to subscribers of a cheaper ChatGPT Plus tier once the company secures the “hundreds of thousands” of additional processors it needs.

OpenAI described GPT-4.5 as its most natural and advanced model yet, calling it “more thoughtful” and “less hallucinogenic.”