Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, best known for his role as a former judge on the television show *Shark Tank* and for his wide-ranging ventures across technology and investment, is currently enjoying an unexpected surge of online attention. His venture into affordable pharmaceuticals, Cost Plus Drugs, has become the focal point of a new viral phenomenon that merges artificial intelligence, personal branding, and marketing innovation. Cuban has said he is having a remarkable amount of fun — or as he put it, a “blast” — watching it all unfold.
The excitement began when Cuban openly invited users of Sora, OpenAI’s emerging social media platform dedicated to AI-generated video and audio, to create and share videos featuring his digital likeness. His statement, made public on Thursday, effectively granted fans and creators permission to portray him using AI tools. By doing so, he became one of the first high-profile figures to enthusiastically embrace OpenAI’s experimental platform as a collaborative and creative space. Within just one day, digital versions of his face and voice had spread rapidly across Sora itself and on X (formerly Twitter), underscoring how quickly a well-known persona can multiply through the new medium of generative content.
Yet, Cuban’s invitation included a clever contractual twist: anyone who uses his likeness in an AI-created video will, knowingly or not, also be producing an advertisement for his cost-saving pharmaceutical enterprise, Cost Plus Drugs. This nuanced requirement means that while the videos may appear purely as creative experiments, they simultaneously function as engaging, user-generated marketing spots for his company. Cuban told *Business Insider* that the experience has been immensely enjoyable, explaining that his primary motivation was curiosity about what other people might produce if given the freedom to experiment. He noted that he saw the process as an opportunity to test the reach and creative resonance of the company’s website, costplusdrugs.com. Thus far, he reported, the outcome has been overwhelmingly positive — an ideal blend of entertainment and strategic exposure.
Sora, now in its second iteration, is an invite-only OpenAI social platform currently accessible to users in the United States and Canada. It provides the tools for creators to construct AI-generated visual and audio performances, often using the “cameo” or likeness permissions of real people who opt in. Within this framework, users can grant their friends or fellow participants authorization to animate their digital avatars for collaborative storytelling or entertainment purposes. In Cuban’s case, the collaborative experiment quickly evolved into a widespread curiosity, reflecting both the public’s fascination with AI-driven creativity and the powerful draw of celebrity participation in tech-driven cultural trends.
Among the most widely circulated examples is a video in which an AI-rendered version of Cuban appears cheerfully dressed in a vivid yellow cardigan decorated with an apple patch. The setting evokes a kindergarten classroom, providing a whimsical backdrop for a catchy jingle that promotes Cost Plus Drugs. In rhythm with upbeat music, the Cuban avatar enthusiastically delivers a short, memorable rhyme emphasizing the company’s commitment to fairness, transparency, and accessibility in pharmaceutical pricing. Other AI-generated clips show similar variations of the entrepreneur — one relaxing on a virtual vacation through Madrid, blending in quick, era-inspired dance routines, and another performing under bright lights as a pop singer. Interestingly, all of these videos conclude with the recurring tagline, “Brought to you by Cost Plus Drugs,” ensuring consistent, recognizable branding throughout the viral campaign.
Rather than distancing himself from these creations, Cuban has been actively engaging with them, resharing many of the AI-generated videos on X to amplify their reach. Each post garners significant engagement, accumulating tens of thousands of views, comments, and shares. His proactive involvement demonstrates not only comfort with the evolving landscape of digital identity but also a strategic understanding of how user-driven creativity can fuel organic publicity. Cuban even complimented OpenAI’s moderation efforts, expressing appreciation that Sora has maintained a positive, non-exploitative environment by filtering out what he described as “creepy stuff.” In his view, that constraint dramatically improves the overall experience, allowing humor, inventiveness, and marketing experimentation to coexist in a responsible ecosystem.
Cuban’s initiative did not go unnoticed by influential figures within OpenAI. CEO Sam Altman and Bill Peebles, who heads the Sora project, both publicly discussed the phenomenon in their Friday appearance on the podcast *TBPN*. Their exchange with co-host Jordi Hays highlighted the irony that Cuban, once an outspoken critic of AI applications in advertising, has now become an early adopter of precisely that technology — using it to its full potential for creative engagement and promotional strategy. Altman reflected that this shift illustrates the pace at which new forms of communication evolve: with each day, novel dynamics emerge that were impossible in previous iterations of video or media creation. According to him, it is an especially exciting period of technological transition, one that continuously redefines how public figures, entrepreneurs, and everyday users interact with AI tools and audience-driven storytelling.
In essence, Cuban’s experiment with Sora encapsulates a broader transformation in digital media, where self-representation, humor, and entrepreneurship intersect. By leveraging the public’s fascination with generative AI while ensuring that every playful recreation reinforces his company’s mission, he has turned what might have been a fleeting viral moment into a sustainable form of audience engagement. It is an inventive demonstration of how the boundaries between entertainment, marketing, and technological exploration are increasingly converging — and how those willing to adapt stand to benefit most from the rapidly evolving world of AI-driven creativity.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-free-advertisements-for-cost-plus-drugs-sora-2-2025-10
