OpenAI was just given a breakthrough deal with one of the biggest companies in film. Disney has given them the keys to many of their iconic characters and staples of the company for use on the OpenAI software.
OpenAI, with its main platform Sora, is one of the leading software for generative artificial intelligence. After word broke of a deal between Disney and OpenAI, the generative software is now expected to come to Disney’s main streamer, Disney+, within the next year.
The Disney deal gives OpenAI access to elements from just about every major IP in Disney’s possession. Screenrant noted that Disney-specific characters, such as Mickey Mouse or Stitch, are included in the deal, as well as Pixar characters, Marvel characters, and Star Wars characters.
Through this deal, which Variety reported on, the AI software will be able to generate content based on prompts centered around Disney and its IPs. Disney is investing $1 billion into the company for the deal, allowing subscribers to use the software at the expense of their creativity. It will not utilize exact likenesses to actors, but it does maneuver around that (where applicable) by using animated and stylized versions of the characters.
Worthy of note, Disney actually used an opposite tactic to generative AI in their most recent hit, Zootopia 2. Pubity posted to their Instagram the process that Disney took to bring the character of Finnick back for the second film, which was thrown into question after voice actor Tommy “Tiny” Lister Jr. passed away before production would begin. Instead of using AI to help make the voice of the character, which has been done before, they opted to use archival recordings and unreleased audio to make an entire part for him, with the blessing of his family. The whole process is very similar to how they portrayed Princess Leia Organa in The Rise Of Skywalker, after Carrie Fisher’s death in 2016.
While a lucrative deal for OpenAI, SAG-AFTRA will be keeping a very close eye on their activity. An official statement from the organization did recognize that OpenAI and Disney made it clear that they would not violate any guidelines, while also mentioning that SAG and OpenAI have been in close talks about how to protect those involved.
The statement concluded by saying that “AI tools must always be employed with full transparency and the informed consent of the performers.”
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