<\/p>\n
A year after tech firm OpenAI roiled Hollywood with the release of its Sora AI video tool, Chief Executive Sam Altman was back \u2014 with a potentially groundbreaking update.<\/p>\n
Unlike the generic images Sora could initially create, the new program allows users to upload videos of real people and put them into AI-generated environments, complete with sound effects and dialogue. <\/p>\n
In one video, a synthetic Michael Jackson takes a selfie video with an image of \u201cBreaking Bad\u201d star Bryan Cranston. In another, a likeness of SpongeBob SquarePants speaks out from behind the White House\u2019s Oval Office desk. <\/p>\n
\u201cExcited to launch Sora 2!\u201d Altman wrote on social media platform X on Sept. 30. \u201cVideo models have come a long way; this is a tremendous research achievement.\u201d <\/p>\n
But the enthusiasm wasn\u2019t shared in Hollywood, where the new AI tools have created a swift backlash. At the core of the dispute is who controls the copyrighted images and likenesses of actors and licensed characters \u2014 and how much they should be compensated for their use in AI models.<\/p>\n
The Motion Picture Assn. trade group didn\u2019t mince words. <\/p>\n
\u201cOpenAI needs to take immediate and decisive action to address this issue,\u201d Chairman Charles Rivkin said in a statement Monday. \u201cWell-established copyright law safeguards the rights of creators and applies here.\u201d<\/p>\n
By the end of the week, multiple agencies and unions, including SAG-AFTRA, chimed in with similar statements, marking a rare moment of consensus in Hollywood and putting OpenAI on the defensive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re engaging directly with studios and rightsholders, listening to feedback, and learning from how people are using Sora 2,\u201d Varun Shetty, OpenAI\u2019s vice president of media partnerships, said in a statement. \u201cMany are creating original videos and excited about interacting with their favorite characters, which we see as an opportunity for rightsholders to connect with fans and share in that creativity.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, the skirmish between well-capitalized OpenAI and the major Hollywood studios and agencies appears to be only just the beginning of a bruising legal fight that could shape the future of AI use in the entertainment business. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe question is less about if the studios will try to assert themselves, but when and how,\u201d said Anthony Glukhov, senior associate at law firm Ramo, of the clash between Silicon Valley and Hollywood over AI. \u201cThey can posture all they want; but at the end of the day, there\u2019s going to be two titans battling it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before it became the focus of ire in the creative community, OpenAI quietly tried to make inroads into the film and TV business.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s executives went on a charm offensive last year. They reached out to key players in the entertainment industry \u2014 including Walt Disney Co. \u2014 about potential areas for collaboration and trying to assuage concerns about its technology.<\/p>\n
This year, the San Francisco-based AI startup took a more assertive approach.<\/p>\n
Before unveiling Sora 2 to the general public, OpenAI executives had conversations with some studios and talent agencies, putting them on notice that they need to explicitly declare which pieces of intellectual property \u2014 including licensed characters \u2014 were being opted-out of having their likeness depicted on the AI platform, according to two sources familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment. Actors would be included in Sora 2 unless they opted out, the people said. <\/p>\n
OpenAI disputes the claim and says that it was always the company\u2019s intent to give actors and other public figures control over how their likeness is used.<\/p>\n
The response was immediate. <\/p>\n
Beverly Hills talent agency WME, which represents stars such as Michael B. Jordan and Oprah Winfrey, told OpenAI its actions were unacceptable, and that all of its clients would be opting out<\/a>.<\/p>\n Creative Artists Agency and United Talent Agency also argued that their clients had the right to control and be compensated for their likenesses. <\/p>\n Studios, including Warner Bros., echoed the point.<\/p>\n \u201cDecades of enforceable copyright law establishes that content owners do not need to \u2018opt out\u2019 to prevent infringing uses of their protected IP,\u201d Warner Bros. Discovery said in a statement. \u201cAs technology progresses and platforms advance, the traditional principles of copyright protection do not change.\u201d<\/p>\n