Disney will invest $1 billion (£740 million) in OpenAI. This deal lets people use many of Disney’s famous characters in the chatbot ChatGPT and the video tool Sora. Disney is the first major studio to license parts of its collection to OpenAI. This decision could greatly affect Disney’s future plans.
Fans will now be able to create and share images and videos featuring over 200 characters from Disney’s franchises, which include Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars. This news comes as OpenAI faces growing questions about how it uses its advanced technology. There is also increasing concern in Hollywood about the impact of AI on creative work.
A blog post about the deal mentions that fans can use characters from movies like Zootopia, Moana, and Encanto, as well as characters such as Luke Skywalker from Star Wars and Deadpool from Marvel.
The agreement also includes beloved characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Disney has agreed to work with OpenAI, but it is unclear how the characters will sound, as the deal does not involve any likenesses or voices of the actors.
Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, said that the advancement of artificial intelligence is significant for the industry. He added that this partnership with OpenAI will help extend their storytelling in a thoughtful and responsible way.
People are expected to start creating videos and images using Sora and ChatGPT in early 2026. This deal comes after Disney’s lawyers sent Google a cease-and-desist letter on Wednesday. The letter claims that Google has violated Disney’s copyrights on a large scale.
Joel Smith, an intellectual property lawyer at Simmons & Simmons, pointed out that Disney’s deal shows that rights owners and major AI developers are quickly forming deals to allow access to content for training and future use.
Concerns Regarding Content
Sora’s realistic videos are popular in the U.S., but they have faced criticism. Some people are using this technology to create harmful deepfakes of deceased public figures.
In October, OpenAI stopped its video tool from making images of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because it produced disrespectful videos of him. The company recognized the need for better protections after clips showed him saying offensive things, which upset the public.
Videos of other figures, like President John F. Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth II, and physicist Stephen Hawking, have also circulated widely. Some family members have asked OpenAI to stop allowing these videos.
Zelda Williams, the daughter of the late comedian Robin Williams, has urged people to stop sending her AI-generated videos of her father.
In November, Warner Music Group announced plans to start an AI music venture with the technology company Suno, a year after it sued the firm in a landmark case.
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