Disney to Invest $1 Billion in OpenAI and License Characters for Sora Video Tool
Disney will invest about $1 billion in OpenAI under a three-year deal, with the potential to exceed that sum. As part of the agreement, Disney will license roughly 200 of its characters, including notable figures such as R2-D2 and Stitch, for use in OpenAI's Sora video tool. Sora is capable of generating videos up to 20 seconds from text prompts and can incorporate the user's own likeness. However, the licensing deal explicitly excludes talent likenesses or voices.
Some fan-made Sora videos generated using these Disney characters could appear on Disney+ as a way to compete with platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts. This move comes amid growing anxiety in Hollywood about the impact of AI on livelihoods for writers, actors, and VFX artists, and follows threats of lawsuits related to unlicensed material.
Disney chief executive Bob Iger stated that the licensing deal will place imagination and creativity in the hands of fans, enabling fan-inspired videos spanning Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, and Disney animated properties.
