OpenAI makes $1bn deal to bring Disney characters to ChatGPT and Sora

A union representing workers in the creative industries says there is "real concern" among its members about a $1bn (£740m) deal which will see Disney characters brought to ChatGPT and video-generation tool Sora.

It is the first major studio to license parts of its catalogue to OpenAI, which makes the tools.

Fans will be able to generate and share pictures and videos of more than 200 characters from Disney's franchises, including Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.

"Everyone in the entertainment industry, especially all the creative talent, are incredibly worried about what the implications are," said Sag-Aftra executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

Sora's hyper-realistic videos have proven to be popular in the US, but there have been significant criticisms from those claiming it has also led to some people creating offensive deepfakes of dead public figures.

In October, OpenAI paused the video tool's ability to generate images of Dr Martin Luther King Jr after the app produced "disrespectful" depictions of the civil rights leader.

The firm acknowledged the need for stronger safeguards after clips emerged showing him saying offensive things, prompting a public outcry.

Other similar videos of President John F. Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth II and physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking also circulated widely.

In some cases, family members called on OpenAI to stop allowing videos to be made.

Zelda Williams, daughter of the late comedian Robin Williams, urged people to stop sending her AI-generated videos of her father.

In November, Warner Music Group announced plans to launch an AI music venture with technology start-up Suno, a year after it sued the firm in a landmark case.

Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.