How the AI-generated music video for Washed Out's The Hardest Part was created entirely using OpenAI's Sora, a first from a major record label
the hardest part Mastodon: @fuxoft@kompost.cz : This music video's visuals were created using AI. Substantial number of “artists” (whatever that is) can now go kill themselves, they are not needed anymore. — #ai #music #video — Washed Out - The Hardest Part (Official Video) - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/... @counternotions@mastodon.social : Most AI generated videos are a dreadful, endless threading of shorter zoom-ins and constant object morphings. — This music video made with OpenAI's Sora as a harbinger of text-to-video future is no exception. — https://www.latimes.com/... X: Paul Trillo / @paultrillo : First official commissioned music video made with @OpenAI Sora for @realwashedout This was an idea I had almost 10 years ago and then abandoned. Finally was able to bring it to life. Watch the full video here https://vimeo.com/... [video] @eshumarneedi : My eyes hurt after watching that abomination. https://www.latimes.com/... Carl Franzen / @carlfranzen : @TheLincoln They talk about the process here. 55 AI generated clips edited together in Premiere https://www.latimes.com/... Kontra / @counternotions : Most AI generated videos are a dreadful, endless threading of shorter zoom-ins and constant object morphings. This music video made with OpenAI's Sora as a harbinger of text-to-video future is no exception. https://www.latimes.com/... Ankit Prakash / @ankitpr89 : A few hours back, I came across the first official music video made with OpenAI Sora, featuring Washed Out's track “The Hardest Part.” Interestingly, the video is a compilation of 55 separate clips, each lasting about 4.4 seconds. The creators assert there's minimal... @vividfeverdrms : Washed Out is spot on with this thread. You gotta respect when a bigger artist holds their POV against fan backlash. It's refreshing to see. Nala / @thisisnalaa : Mixed feelings about the Washed Out music video made entirely with Open AI: 1. I feel bad for the jobs lost due to this type of medium becoming accessible to everyone. 2. Should high-quality film be accessible to everyone regardless of expertise and network? Kenny Le / @kennyle31 : First official music video to be made entirely with AI technology. Everything you see in this video is FAKE. Washed Out, an American band, has released a music video for their new single ‘The Hardest Part,’ created entirely using OpenAI's unreleased Sora AI model. [video] Rob Abelow / @abelowrob : The 1st music video created entirely through OpenAI's Sora just dropped. It's for Washed Out's new track “The Hardest Part”, and it's 4 full minutes of completely generative text-to-video. → The 2 main characters → Their shapeshifting baby → Dozens of settings → Lots of... [video] @realwashedout : I saw this collaboration with Paul as an extension of what I'd already done with my 3rd album Mister Mellow which explored almost every sub-genre of hand-made animation. To me, AI tools like Sora just felt like another new area to explore. @realwashedout : This 1985 Dire Straits video is a perfect example. It may look dated by today's standards but it utilized cutting edge computer animation. I'm interested in experimenting with new tools in the same way. https://www.youtube.com/... Paul Trillo / @paultrillo : It is live. My collab with @realwashedout made with @OpenAI Sora @realwashedout : I acknowledge the fact that AI art is a controversial subject and I have other projects in the works that are far from this type of approach. But I don't agree that it is as black and white as some commenters have suggested. Paul Trillo / @paultrillo : Watch the full film here: https://vimeo.com/... @realwashedout : “The Hardest Part” - directed by @paultrillo - out now. https://youtube.com/... The first commissioned music video created entirely through @OpenAI's Sora. [video] @realwashedout : I consider AI art a new genre distinct from traditional filmmaking or even animation, and I admire the technical innovation that led to the creation of these tools. There are obvious flaws to the look of these early Sora experiments but it is SO EARLY in its development. @realwashedout : I think AI tools will definitely disrupt our current paradigm but ultimately I believe it has the potential to open up so many new creative possibilities. Paul Trillo / @paultrillo : Washed Out “The Hardest Part” I leaned into the hallucinations, the strange details, the dream-like logic of movement, the distorted mirror of memories, the surreal qualities unique to Sora / AI that differentiate it from reality. Embrace the strange. [video] LinkedIn: Kamila Sultanova : 🎬✨ Just dropped: The first official music video crafted entirely with GenAI is out now, and let me tell you, it's a stunner! … See also Mediagazer
Context & Ripple Effects
OpenAI had already shown Sora work from a small group of filmmakers, artists, agencies and musicians in an early creator showcase. This release moves the tool from a controlled demonstration into a commissioned release tied to a major-label artist.
Its 55 short generated segments also show that the practical unit of production is not a single prompt, but an edited sequence of model outputs shaped by a director and artist collaboration.
First-order effects
- Washed Out and director Paul Trillo gain a high-profile proof point for using Sora as the visual-production system for an official release, while OpenAI gains a commercial creative-use case.
- The mixed reaction immediately puts the project’s craft and technical novelty alongside concerns about visual quality and displacement of artists.
Second-order effects
- Record labels, artists and video directors can treat text-to-video as an additional production workflow to evaluate, increasing pressure on conventional music-video vendors to articulate where human direction, performance and finishing remain differentiated.
- Because the result depends on assembling dozens of short clips, demand shifts toward creative direction, prompt iteration and editorial control rather than simply eliminating production work.
Third-order effects
- If commissioned releases continue to adopt generative video, music promotion could become an early commercial channel for synthetic visuals—expanding output while intensifying disputes over creative labor and authorship.
- The later broadening of access through Sora’s subscription launch suggests that the distinction between elite demonstrations and routine creator tooling may narrow, though adoption will still depend on usable controls and audience acceptance.
The trend: Generative-video systems are moving from curated creative demonstrations toward commercial content workflows, with human creative control becoming the key point of differentiation.