OpenAI said that it has "strengthened guardrails" in its generative AI video creation tool Sora 2 after actor Bryan Cranston complained of having his likeness replicated.
Cranston, best known for playing Walter White in the hit series Breaking Bad, told media and entertainment union Sag-Aftra that his appearance and voice had been generated without his permission by Sora 2 users.
"While from the start it was OpenAl's policy to require opt-in for the use of voice and likeness, OpenAl expressed regret for these unintentional generations," a statement from Sag-Aftra read.
That statement was later reposted by OpenAI's social media account on X.
"OpenAI has strengthened guardrails around replication of voice likeness when individuals do not opt in," the social media post continued.
Sora 2 has risen to the top of app download charts since its debut about two weeks ago. OpenAI's app has steadily improved and made it possible to generate realistic video from a few lines of text.
Cranston's voice and likeness were generated in some outputs without consent or compensation when Sora 2 was initially launched in an invitation-only release.
"I was deeply concerned, not just for myself but for all performers whose work and identity can be misused in this way," Cranston said, adding that he was grateful to OpenAI for pledging to improve protection.
The statement also mentioned that Cranston, OpenAI, Sag-Aftra, United Talent Agency, Creative Artists Agency and the Association of Talent Agents fully endorsed a proposed bill known as the "No Fakes Act", which seeks to protect performers from infringement through increasingly powerful AI tools.
While hailed by some for empowering users to create videos from scratch, Sora 2's technology has also sparked concern about the potential for the app and others like it to spread false information.
Days before promising Cranston it would improve protection to ensure performers are given more control over the use of their identities, OpenAI also responded to concerns raised by the estate of civil-rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
Since Sora 2's launch, deepfake videos of Dr King saying offensive or racist things and perpetuating racist stereotypes have gone viral on social media.
"OpenAI has paused generations depicting Dr King as it strengthens guardrails for historical figures," the company said.
"While there are strong free speech interests in depicting historical figures, OpenAI believes public figures and their families should ultimately have control over how their likeness is used."
Although Sora 2 can be downloaded for free by most smartphone users, OpenAI has staggered the activation of the app to keep servers operating amid intense use and to fine-tune security features.
On its launch, OpenAI said that it decided to include a Sora watermark on each video generated by the app, along with "invisible provenance signals".
Within days of the Sora 2's debut, however, apps to wipe away the Sora watermark were readily available for purchase.
