Disney and OpenAI announced today that they have reached an agreement for Disney to be the first major content licensing partner for Sora, OpenAI’s video platform. Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI as part of the deal.
The three-year deal follows CEO Bob Iger’s comments during Disney’s quarterly earnings call about plans for bringing AI and user generated content (UGC) features to Disney+.
The deal will not include talent likenesses or voices, but will allow Sora to generate videos based on prompts from users, using Disney content including over 200 animated, masked and creature characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars. That content includes costumes, props, vehicles, and settings. Users will also be able to ask ChatGPT to create images based on just a short description.
A curated selection of user generated videos will be available on Disney+ and the two companies will collaborate “to power new experiences for Disney + subscribers.”
“Technological innovation has continually shaped the evolution of entertainment, bringing with it new ways to create and share great stories with the world,” Iger said in a press release about the deal. “The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry, and through this collaboration with OpenAI we will thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works. Bringing together Disney’s iconic stories and characters with OpenAI’s groundbreaking technology puts imagination and creativity directly into the hands of Disney fans in ways we’ve never seen before, giving them richer and more personal ways to connect with the Disney characters and stories they love.”
“Disney is the global gold standard for storytelling, and we’re excited to partner to allow Sora and ChatGPT Images to expand the way people create and experience great content,” said Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI. “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.”
While Disney is investing in AI through the OpenAI agreement, the company is also going after Google for copyright infringement via AI on a “massive scale” according to a report from Variety. Disney’s attorneys sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google on Wednesday, demanding a stop to the infringement, which Disney claims includes using Disney content to train AI models. This isn’t the first case of Disney fighting against copyright infringement through AI. The company also sent a cease-and-desist letter to Character.AI in October and Midjourney, a generative AI startup, in June.