Sora exposes how broken deepfake detection really is

The internet has a new obsession — and it’s completely fake.
Sora, OpenAI’s viral video generator, is quietly exposing a truth most of us aren’t ready to face: deepfake detection is broken.

You’ve probably seen AI-generated images that fooled you for a second — a fake politician speech, a “real” viral moment, or maybe that video of bunnies bouncing on a trampoline. Cute, harmless… until you realize how convincing they’ve become. But Sora has pushed that illusion to cinematic levels.

Built by the same company behind ChatGPT, Sora isn’t just another AI toy. It’s a full-blown video engine capable of creating ultra-realistic scenes with voices, motion, and emotion so convincing that even experts have to look twice.

What’s wild is that OpenAI didn’t stop there. They launched Sora 2 — and paired it with a new TikTok-style social media app. Every clip you scroll on Sora’s feed looks real, feels real, and sounds real — but none of it exists. Every frame, every laugh, every face — generated from text prompts.

And here’s the twist: Sora includes a built-in watermarking system meant to help platforms tag deepfakes. Yet, those same tags aren’t showing up reliably online. Videos are spreading — sometimes reuploaded, sometimes stripped — and audiences are left wondering what’s real anymore.

That’s the problem.
We’re entering an era where authenticity can’t keep up with accessibility.

You don’t need Hollywood studios or editing skills to create a fake celebrity interview or political scandal anymore. A few words and a few clicks — and Sora does the rest. Its “cameo” feature even lets users insert real people into AI-generated scenes, making it nearly impossible to distinguish truth from trickery.

Compare that to tools like Google’s Veo or Midjourney’s first video attempts — Sora isn’t just sharper; it’s emotionally believable. Movements sync with sound. Lighting looks natural. And reactions feel unscripted. It’s creativity without consequence — until it is.

Experts are worried for good reason. Organizations like SAG-AFTRA have already pushed OpenAI to reinforce ethical limits and consent rules. Because while a fake bunny video is funny, a fake political rally or fabricated evidence in the wrong hands? That’s chaos.

So how do we fight back?

Right now, watermarks are the first line of defense.
Every Sora clip downloaded from its iOS app includes a bouncing cloud logo watermark. It’s subtle, much like the watermark you see on TikTok videos — meant to remind viewers of the source. Google’s Gemini also auto-watermarks its images for similar reasons.

But here’s where the illusion deepens — watermarks can be cropped, blurred, or removed by apps designed to erase them completely. Even OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, admitted that no watermark can fully protect truth. His response was blunt: “Society will have to adapt to a world where anyone can make fake videos of anyone.”

That’s a chilling statement — not because it’s wrong, but because it’s already happening.

We’re watching the internet shift from a space of information to a theater of perception. The more realistic AI content becomes, the more our trust erodes — not in technology, but in each other.

So maybe it’s not just about spotting what’s fake anymore. It’s about learning how to question what looks real.

The Sora era isn’t about technology gone rogue — it’s about responsibility catching up. The tools are here, powerful and public. The only safeguard left might not be code or watermarking systems — it’s awareness.

Because soon, “seeing is believing” might be the most dangerous lie online.

👉 Stay curious, not convinced. Learn how AI tools shape what you see — and decide for yourself what’s worth trusting.