Are there any slopes?
On Thursday, the Walt Disney Company revealed a plan to invest $1 billion in OpenAI. This partnership will enable users to create numerous AI-generated videos featuring beloved characters from franchises like Star Wars via the Sora app.
This announcement, which could significantly increase AI content online, follows Disney’s recent threat of legal action against Google for what it claims is extensive copyright infringement.
Disney has accused Google of utilizing its videos and images to support AI projects and for commercial use without permission.
Disney seems to be diving headfirst into the AI realm, perhaps akin to Scrooge McDuck swimming in gold coins.
With this new collaboration, Sora users will have the ability to craft custom short videos featuring over 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and “Star Wars.” Some of these creations may eventually be available on Disney+.
Notable characters included are Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Black Panther, Darth Vader, and Yoda, among others.
However, Disney has specified that users of Sora won’t have access to “talent likenesses or voices.”
“The rapid advances in artificial intelligence mark a crucial moment for our industry,” stated Disney CEO Bob Iger. He added that this partnership seeks to expand storytelling responsibly through generative AI, while also safeguarding creators and their work.
Echoing this view, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman said, “Disney is the global gold standard for storytelling, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with Sora and ChatGPT Images.” He noted that this agreement is a testament to how AI firms and creative leaders can work together responsibly for societal benefit.
Under this three-year deal, Disney intends to become a significant client of OpenAI, utilizing its APIs for new products and experiences, including enhancements for Disney+, and deploying ChatGPT for its staff.
Legally, Disney has taken a strong stance against Google, claiming in a letter by law firm Jenner & Block that Google has plagiarized a vast array of Disney’s copyrighted works without authorization for its AI model training.
The cease-and-desist letter highlights how Google’s actions could be damaging, given its market dominance, allowing it to leverage popular but infringed works to maintain that status.
Disney pointed out that even YouTube acknowledged it had used a “derivative work of Disney’s copyrighted characters,” which led to demands for content removal.
Disney’s agreement with OpenAI signifies a vital shift between Hollywood and tech companies, which have been criticized for utilizing copyrighted material to allow users to generate content featuring popular characters.
This year, Disney, along with Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Discovery, has filed separate lawsuits against the AI image generation company Midjourney, accusing it of deliberate copyright violations.
Furthermore, these entertainment firms are also pursuing legal action against MiniMax, a Chinese AI company that has launched its own video generation service, claiming it has infringed upon copyright by using character data to train its AI.
OpenAI is currently facing lawsuits from media organizations for its training of large-scale language models using copyrighted content.
In December 2023, the New York Times Company sued OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging significant copyright infringements associated with using numerous Times articles to develop ChatGPT.
Just weeks prior, many authors, including John Grisham and George R.R. Martin, initiated a class action lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging unauthorized use of their works for training AI bots.
Moreover, last May, OpenAI entered into a multi-year licensing agreement with News Corp, the parent company of the Post.
