OpenAI's controversial video generation tool Sora has one less thing to worry about, thanks in part to an agreement reached with Disney.
According to the entertainment and theme park giant, users of OpenAI's Sora will soon be able to create videos featuring various Disney characters and other intellectual property.
Though details are sparse, users of Sora are expected to be able to create the content beginning in early 2006, according to Disney.
"As part of this new, three-year licensing agreement, Sora will be able to generate short, user-prompted social videos that can be viewed and shared by fans, drawing from a set of more than 200 animated, masked and creature characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars, including costumes, props, vehicles, and iconic environments," a statement from Disney said.
The characters of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Lilo, Stitch, Ariel, Belle, Beast, Cinderella, Baymax, Simba, and Mufasa are just some of the many from Disney-owned properties mentioned in the deal.
Currently, when users attempt to make videos with prompts mentioning Disney characters, Sora often refuses.
"This content may violate our guardrails concerning similarity to third-party content," a dialogue box within the app reads.
The dialogue box appears when attempting to make a video using Mickey Mouse, for example. Some, however, have been able to finesse prompts to get around those guardrails.
As part of the OpenAI deal, Disney also indicated that it would make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI, giving the fast-rising technology company a much-needed vote of confidence and a potential influx of cash as it faces stiff competition from Google and Anthropic.
"This agreement shows how AI companies and creative leaders can work together responsibly to promote innovation that benefits society, respect the importance of creativity, and help works reach vast new audiences," OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said.
First announced in 2024, OpenAI's Sora has risen to the top of mobile app download charts in the US, Canada, South Korea and Japan. It allows users to create realistic-looking videos from just a few lines of text.
But amid the popularity, there have been complaints and controversy related to copyright infringement.
In October, 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.
"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.
OpenAI also responded to concerns raised by the estate of civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, which complained about videos created on Sora depicting Dr King saying offensive things and perpetuating racist stereotypes.
"OpenAI has paused generations depicting Dr King as it strengthens guardrails for historical figures," the company said.
After complaints and legal threats from various entertainment entities, OpenAI changed its initial Sora 2 policy which allowed for copyrighted content to be generated and used within the app unless the copyright holders opted out.
The company now requires that copyright holders opt in before their content is used.
To prevent the spread of disinformation, fake news and other potential problems, OpenAI said that it decided to include a Sora watermark on each video generated by the app.
Within days of the Sora 2's debut, however, apps to wipe away the watermark were readily available for purchase.
Mark MacCarthy, a senior fellow at the Institute for Technology Law and Policy at Georgetown University in Washington, said that while the Disney deal might help OpenAI set a copyright precedent, it doesn't solve longer term revenue problems that many analysts point out.
"So far Sora is a goofy hobby tool that users will gladly use for free, but it is not a useful business or entertainment tool, even with Disney characters," he said, adding that various estimates show that only 5 per cent of OpenAI's users users pay to actually use the company's flagship ChatGPT product.
"This deal doesn't solve OpenAI's bigger problem."
Robert Wahl, an associate professor of computer science at Concordia University Wisconsin said that Disney is widely known throughout the entertainment industry for protecting its intellectual property with incredible fervor, and that the partnership with OpenAI gave Disney a unique opportunity to keep up with the break-neck pace of AI developments.
"Disney still maintains some control by working with Sora to ensure that the proper 'guardrails' are in place for content generation," he said, also reflecting on other aspects of the deal that benefit the entertainment company.
"It gives them a foot in the door with AI and will allow them to integrate OpenAI within their own applications," he explained.
