OpenAI announced Thursday that it has stopped allowing users to create videos resembling the late civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. using its AI video model, Sora. The company says it is adding this assurance at the request of the estate of Dr. King after some Sora users created “disrespectful depictions” of his image.
“While there are strong free speech interests in the depiction of historical figures, OpenAI believes that public figures and their families should ultimately be in control of how their likeness is used,” OpenAI said in a post on X from her official newsroom account. “Authorized agents or property owners may request that their likeness not be used in Sora cameos.”
The restriction comes just weeks after OpenAI launched its social video platform, Sora, which allows users to create realistic AI-generated videos that resemble historical figures, their friends, and users who choose to recreate their likeness on the platform. The release has sparked a heated public debate about the dangers of AI-generated videos and how platforms should implement guardrails around the technology.
Dr. Bernice King, daughter of Dr. King, posted on Instagram last week asking people to stop sending her AI videos that look like her father. He linked up with Robin Williams’ daughter, who also asked Sora users to stop making AI videos of her father.
The Washington Post reported earlier this week that Sora users had created videos powered by artificial intelligence Dr. King makes monkey noises and fighting another civil rights icon, Malcolm X. Jumping into OpenAI’s Sora app, it’s easy to find raw videos that look like other historical figures, including artist Bob Ross, singer Whitney Houston, and former President John F. Kennedy.
The licensor of the estate of Dr. King did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
Beyond how Sora represents people, the release has also raised a number of questions about how social media platforms should handle AI videos with copyrighted works. The Sora app is also full of videos featuring cartoons like SpongeBob SquarePants, South Park, and Pokémon.
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OpenAI has added other limitations to Sora in the weeks since its release. Earlier in October, the company said it planned to give copyright holders more granular control over the types of AI videos that can be created in their likeness. This may have been a response to Hollywood’s initial reaction to Sora, which it wasn’t great.
As OpenAI adds restrictions to Sora, the company appears to be taking a more seamless approach to content moderation on ChatGPT. OpenAI announced this week that it will allow adult users to have “romantic” conversations with ChatGPT in the coming months.
With Sora, it looks like OpenAI is addressing the concerns that come with AI video creation. Some OpenAI researchers publicly took issue with questions about the company’s first AI-powered social networking platform in the days after its launch and how such a product fits into the nonprofit’s mission. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company felt “trembling” for Sora on launch day.
Nick Turley, the head of ChatGPT, told me earlier this month that the best way to teach the world about a new technology is to make it available to the world. He said that’s what the company learned with ChatGPT, and that’s what OpenAI is finding with Sora as well. It looks like the company is learning something about how to distribute this technology, too.
