Disney’s $1 billion investment in OpenAI.
Disney announced that a $1 billion equity investment would be made to OpenAI and that users would be allowed to use the copyrighted cartoon role of Disney in their AI video generation applications. OpenAI launched Sora in September this year, and users need to enter text tips to generate short videos.

Under the new three-year mandate agreement between OpenAI and Disney, from next year onwards, Sora users will be able to use more than 200 characters from Disney, Manway, Pixar and Star Wars to create content. In his statement, Chief Executive Officer Bob Eiger of Disney said: “The rapid development of artificial intelligence is an important moment for our industry. In cooperation with OpenAI, we will expand the boundaries of storytelling through the creation of AI in a deliberate and responsible manner, while respecting and protecting creators and their works.” The content of the agreement indicates that Disney will be granted an equity card for the purchase of additional shares and will become the main client of OpenAI. According to the press release, Disney will also deploy the OpenAI chat robot ChatGPT internally to staff and plan to build on its new tools and experience. This fall, Sora went up to the top of the Apple Applications store, and it was a major controversy. – The influx of users into the platform generated a large number of videos using well-known brands and roles. The American Film Association stated in October that OpenAI was required to take “immediate and decisive action” to prevent copyright infringement on Sora. In his blog, CEO OpenAI Sam Altman promised to launch a more “better control” role-generation programme.

As AI start-ups rapidly change the way people interact with content online, media companies, including Disney, have initiated a series of new legal actions to protect intellectual property rights. Just Wednesday evening, Disney sent a restraining notice to Google alleging “a massive violation of copyright”. According to CNBC, Disney claimed that Google used its copyright-protected work training model and disseminated content without authorization. The global film industry and Disney have previously indicted the AI image generator Midjourney for improper use and dissemination of AI content based on film role. Disney also sent a warning letter to Character.AI in September to stop the unauthorized use of the Disney copyright role. This collaboration with OpenAI shows that Disney did not completely exclude AI. In their press releases, the two companies stated that they were jointly committed to using AI technology in a manner that “protects user security and creators’ rights” and “respects the creative industry”. OpenAI also agreed to maintain “strong controls” to prevent its platforms from generating illegal or harmful content. The open-ended roles of the partnership include Mickey Mouse, Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Iron Man and Darth Vidal. Disney and OpenAI stressed that the agreement did not include authorization for any actor ‘ s image or voice. When using the ChatGPT image generation function, the user can also call these IPs and create the relevant images by natural language tips.

In his statement, Altman said: “Disney is the golden standard of global storytelling, and we are honoured to be able to work together to expand the way in which Sora and ChatGPT images are created and experienced.