Welcome back to Daily Zaps, your regularly-scheduled dose of AI news ⚡️ 

Here’s what we got for ya today:

• 🎥 OpenAI launches Sora

• 🏞️ xAi image generation tool Aurora

• 🇺🇸 Palantir and Anduril form AI consortium

• 🧐 OpenAI’s reinforcement fine-tuning tool

Let’s get right into it!

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STARTUPS

OpenAI launches Sora

OpenAI has launched Sora at sora.com, its video-generating tool, with features allowing users to create videos from text prompts, images, or existing clips. However, the ability to generate videos using real people's photos or footage as a reference is limited to a subset of users while OpenAI refines its safety protocols, given concerns over potential misuse, such as deepfakes and misinformation.

Sora includes safeguards like filters for detecting minors in videos, stricter content moderation thresholds, and metadata adhering to the C2PA standard to trace video origins. Additionally, prompt re-writing prevents videos from mimicking living artists' styles to address copyright concerns. Despite controversies, Sora offers creative tools like video blending, storyboarding, and re-cutting, available to ChatGPT Pro and Plus subscribers in select countries.

STARTUPS

xAi image generation tool Aurora

xAi, has introduced a new image generator called Aurora to its Grok assistant, offering photorealistic capabilities for landscapes and still lifes but with some flaws, such as distorted hands. Accessible via X’s apps and web, Aurora allows the generation of images, including copyrighted and public figures, with minimal restrictions, though some graphic content is permitted.

Currently in beta, Aurora was briefly live before disappearing for some users. X says Aurora will launch for all users within the week.

BIG TECH

Palantir and Anduril form AI consortium

Palantir and Anduril have formed a consortium to address challenges in the Defense Department's adoption of AI, focusing on data readiness and scaling AI models securely. Building on their existing products—Palantir’s AI Platform (AIP) and Anduril’s Menace system—the partnership aims to integrate cloud-based data management and operational tools for deploying AI across defense systems.

STARTUPS

OpenAI’s reinforcement fine-tuning tool

On day two of OpenAI's "12 Days of OpenAI," the focus shifted to enterprise applications with the announcement of Reinforcement Fine-Tuning (RFT), a tool for developers to customize AI models for specialized tasks using minimal training data. Highlighted examples included RFT's use in creating the CoCounsel AI assistant for legal tasks and aiding genetic research at Berkeley Lab.

OpenAI hinted at alternating enterprise and consumer-focused updates during the event, balancing practical advancements with lighter, humorous touches like an AI-generated Santa joke about self-driving sleighs.