Artificial intelligence startup OpenAI is gearing up for a busy holiday season, announcing a "shipmas" period of new features and products that will unfold over 12 days, starting on December 5th. The releases will include OpenAI's highly anticipated text-to-video AI tool Sora and a new reasoning model, according to sources familiar with the company's plans.

The news was confirmed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on stage at The New York Times' DealBook conference on Wednesday morning, although he refrained from revealing specific details about the upcoming announcements. Instead, Altman hinted that OpenAI would launch or demo something new every day for 12 days, generating significant buzz in the tech community.

Ahead of the launch, some OpenAI employees took to social media to tease the coming releases, posting cryptic messages and festive-themed images. The startup's senior vice president responded to a staffer's post with "IYKYK" (if you know, you know), fueling speculation about the nature of the announcements.

The imminent launch of Sora comes on the heels of controversy surrounding the model's development. Hundreds of artists have been alpha testing Sora throughout 2024, thanks to an invite-only research preview that allows them to generate videos with the tool. However, some artists leaked the model in protest of being used by OpenAI for what they claim is "unpaid R&D and PR." Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati had previously stated that Sora would be available by the end of the year.

In related news, Google has debuted its latest generative AI video model, Veo, ahead of the Sora release. Veo is now available for businesses to incorporate into their content creation pipelines through Google's Vertex AI platform. The move is seen as a strategic response to OpenAI's Sora, which has been generating significant interest in the tech community.

Rumors are also circulating about a potential new Santa-inspired voice for ChatGPT, with some users spotting code that replaces the voice mode button with a snowflake. While OpenAI has not confirmed the development, it is possible that this feature may be announced as part of the 12 days of "shipmas" releases.

The flurry of AI announcements from OpenAI and Google underscores the intense competition in the artificial intelligence space, as companies race to develop and deploy innovative AI tools and models. The next 12 days will undoubtedly be a pivotal period for OpenAI, as the company seeks to make a significant impact on the AI landscape.

Stay tuned for further updates and analysis as OpenAI's "shipmas" period unfolds.