More than ever, we feel a duty and desire to extend empathy to our nonhuman neighbors. In the last three years, more than 30 countries have formally recognized other animals--including gorillas, lobsters, crows, and octopuses--as sentient beings. A trio of books from Ed Yong, Jackie Higgins, and Philip Ball detail creatures' rich inner worlds and capture what has led to these developments: a booming field of experimental research challenging the long-standing view that animals are neither conscious nor cognitively complex. It seems we have two types of laugh: one caused by tickling, and the other by everything else. Ukrainian artist Oleg Dron specializes in expansive, haunting landscapes.

Sora is a powerful AI video generation model that can create videos from text prompts, animate images, or remix videos in new styles. OpenAI first previewed the model back in February, but today is the first time the company is releasing it for broader use. The core function of Sora--creating impressive videos with simple prompts--remains similar to what was previewed in February, but OpenAI worked to make the model faster and cheaper ahead of this wider release. There are a few new features, and two stand out. With it, you can create multiple AI-generated videos and then assemble them together on a timeline, much the way you would with conventional video editors like Adobe Premiere Pro.

Sora promises to redefine the way visual content is created. Despite its numerous forecasted benefits, the drivers of user willingness to use the text-to-video (T2V) model are unknown. This study extends the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) with perceived realism and novelty value. Using a purposive sampling method, we collected data from 940 respondents in the US and analyzed the sample using covariance-based structural equation modeling and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The findings reveal that all hypothesized relationships are supported, with perceived realism emerging as the most influential driver, followed by novelty value. Moreover, fsQCA identifies five configurations leading to high and low willingness to use, and the model demonstrates high predictive validity, contributing to theory advancement. Our study provides valuable insights for developers and marketers, offering guidance for strategic decisions to promote the widespread adoption of T2V models.