OpenAI has confirmed talks with Disney have led to the animation giant entering a licensing agreement, allowing people to use 200 of its iconic animated characters across its massive, decade-old library. Curated user-generated videos will be viewable on Disney Plus, a callback to a previous statement as recently as last month where CEO Bob Iger illuded to introducing "game-like features" to the streaming service.
Disney, which has been pretty litigeous over unauthorized use of its IPs within the AI space, tackling Midjourney for copyright infringement in a lawsuit with Paramount, will now be a consumer of OpenAI, using the company's APIs to "build new products, tools, and experiences, including for Disney+." What these new experences are will likely be tied to that "game-like" promise Iger made.
The company will also make a $1 billion equity investment into the AI company with the possibility of spending more later on. The deal made lasts for the next three years.
The full list of authorized characters haven't been shared, but OpenAI did share a couple of characters, all of which range from iconic Disney animated characters to broad IPs to illistrated or animated versions of Marvel heroes and villains, and yes, even Star Wars characters are up for the generating deal. Speaking about the deal, Iger believes that OpenAI will help extend its reach for storytelling while protecting creators and their work, alongside helping fans in a richer and more personal way to connect with Disney characters.
"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 characters:
- Mickey Mouse
- Minnie Mouse
- Lilo
- Stitch
- Ariel
- Belle
- Beast
- Cinderella
- Baymax
- Simba
- Mufasa
Disney IPs:
- Encanto
- Frozen
- Inside Out
- Moana
- Monsters Inc.
- Toy Story
- Up
- Zootopia
Marvel characters:
- Black Panther
- Captain America
- Deadpool
- Groot
- Iron Man
- Loki
- Thor
- Thanos
Star Wars characters:
- Darth Vader
- Han Solo
- Luke Skywalker
- Leia
- The Mandalorian
- Stormtroopers
- Yoda
As you may imagine, too, OpenAI plans on introducing age-appropriate policies and continue to ensure illegal or hamful generations are stamped out and will "respect the rights of content owners in relation to the outputs of models."
About The Author:
A fan of all things entertainment, Gabe has nearly a half a decade of writing about the entertainment industry under his belt. He's currently obsessed with Helluva Boss.