The Walt Disney Company announced Thursday a three-year partnership with OpenAI to bring the company’s iconic characters to its Sora AI video generator. Disney has also made a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI.
Released in September, Sora allows users to create short videos using simple prompts. The new deal gives users access to more than 200 animated, masked, and creature characters, including costumes, props, vehicles, and more from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars.
These characters include iconic faces such as Mickey Mouse, Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Big Hero 6, and Simba, as well as characters from Encanto, Frozen, Inside Head, Moana, Monsters, Inc., Toy Story, Up, and Zootopia. Users can also draw animated and illustrated versions of Marvel and Lucasfilm characters such as Black Panther, Captain America, Deadpool, Groot, Iron Man, Darth Vader, Han Solo, and Stormtroopers.
Users can also draw these characters while using ChatGPT Images, a feature of ChatGPT that allows you to create visuals using text prompts.
Disney said the deal does not include any likeness or voice of the talent.
“The rapid advances in artificial intelligence are an important moment for our industry,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement. “Through this collaboration with OpenAI, we will thoughtfully and responsibly expand the scope of storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their work.”
Along with the deal, Disney says it will “become a major customer of OpenAI” as it uses the API to build new products, tools and experiences, including for Disney+.
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“Disney is the global gold standard for storytelling, and we’re excited to partner with Sora and ChatGPT Images to expand the ways people create and experience great content,” Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, said in a statement. “This agreement demonstrates how AI companies and creative leaders can work together responsibly to foster innovation that benefits society, honors the importance of creativity, and helps works reach vast new audiences.”
It’s worth noting that Disney sued generative AI platform Midjourney for ignoring requests to stop infringing on its intellectual property rights. Disney also sent a cease and desist letter to Character.AI, asking the chatbot company to remove Disney characters from among the millions of AI companions on its platform.
Disney’s deal with OpenAI shows that the company isn’t completely closing the door on its AI platform.
