Sora, as expected, is not yet available in Europe

The Sora hype is real. Not too long after a group of artists “leaked” the video-generating model, OpenAI officially launched Sora and its faster “Turbo” variant to (almost) everyone.

As expected, Sora (sora.com) is not yet available in most European countries. OpenAI lists in Sora’s supported countries that the only European countries where Sora is available are those that aren’t EU members, like Iceland, Albania, Serbia, Liechtenstein, Armenia, and more.

“Right now, users can access Sora everywhere ChatGPT is available, with the exception of the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the European Economic Area. We are working to expand access further in the coming months,” OpenAI says.

Building a video-generating AI model like Sora requires a lot of testing with video data, and the European Union is known for its strict regulations regarding technology and data privacy & collection.

When OpenAI first launched ChatGPT roughly two years ago, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) made it so complex that OpenAI launched it first in non-EU countries.

The same also goes for Threads, Meta’s so-called “Instagram killer,” which gained popularity after Twitter (now known as X) experienced a mass exodus due to Elon Musk’s leadership on the platform.

OpenAI’s Sora is now available in most North & South American countries like Canada, the US, Mexico, and Brazil, as well as in Asian and African countries.

During its 12-day streaming event, the Microsoft-backed AI company also announced the launch of Sora Turbo, an upgraded and faster version of its tool, following its initial preview in February. This version is now available exclusively to Plus and Pro users and enables up to 1080p resolution videos in various formats.

“Sora is not included with ChatGPT Team, Enterprise, or Edu. It is also not currently available to people under the age of 18,” the company mentions further.