Disney Announces $1 Billion For OpenAI Investment

Disney announced Thursday plans to invest $1 billion in OpenAI and allow more than 200 Disney, Pixar, and Star Wars characters to be utilized in AI generation.

The Details: Disney, just one day after sending a cease-and-desist letter to Google demanding the company stop alleged copyright infringement by utilizing the likeness of characters in AI generation, announced a deal between Disney and OpenAI. The three-year agreement allows the Sora AI video generator and ChatGPT Image to utilize the characters, but not the "talent likenesses or voices." Disney will also become a major OpenAI customer, with plans to utilize the APIs to build new products, tools, and experiences for Disney+, while also utilizing ChatGPT for all employees. Some videos created by AI generation are also expected to show up on the Disney+ platform.

For Context: Hollywood and other creative industries have been at odds with the AI industry over copyright infringements, and the worry that AI will replace the need for human expression and creativity. The effects of AI have been questioned in schools as well, with First Lady Melania Trump hosting a meeting at the White House to discuss the impact AI will have on the future of education.

How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the political spectrum displayed some common ground, all reporting the issues creators have with AI; however, the way these concerns were expressed varied. Outlets on the right, such as Breitbart (Right bias), featured an opinion article written by John Nolte saying the "Disney Grooming Syndicate" has sold out by making the deal. Nolte, in the format of a letter, wrote "Dear Hollywood People: One of your five (soon-to-be-four) major employers is importing easily exploited labor from the outside that's cheaper and more compliant. How you feel about AI is how the working class feel about illegal aliens." Nolte went on to say, "The once-exclusive keys to the Magic Kingdom have just been mailed worldwide." The New York Post (Lean Right), in a play on words from a popular line from Star Wars, said, "May the slop be with you," explaining that Disney "seems poised to flood the web with even more AI slop.  Outlets on the left, like the New York Times (Lean Left), called the deal "a watershed moment for Hollywood," explaining that "Disney is the first major Hollywood company to cross this particular Rubicon." The Guardian (Left), like other outlets, noted the anxiety in Hollywood over the move.  

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