DISNEY AGREES TO $1 BILLION EQUITY INVESTMENT IN OPENAI AND LICENSING DEAL FOR SORA AI TO USE ICONIC CHARACTERS

The Walt Disney Company said Thursday that it will make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI and has reached a licensing agreement that will allow the use of characters from its major entertainment franchises in OpenAI’s generative artificial intelligence tools, including the Sora video generator and ChatGPT image features.

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The announcement represents a significant commercial partnership between a major media studio and a leading AI company, and it sets terms for how entertainment intellectual property may be incorporated into user-generated AI content.

Under the three-year licensing pact, OpenAI’s Sora and ChatGPT Images platforms will be able to generate visuals and short videos featuring characters drawn from more than 200 figures and environments across Disney’s intellectual property portfolio, including franchises such as Star Wars, Pixar, and Marvel. A selection of the AI-generated videos made by users is expected to be available for streaming on Disney+. The licensing arrangement does not extend to talent likenesses or voices, and it sets parameters for how OpenAI may use the licensed characters in the creation of fan-prompted content.

The partnership also includes broader collaboration on products and tools that use OpenAI models, with Disney planning to deploy ChatGPT across its internal operations and integrate OpenAI’s technology into new services for Disney+ subscribers. As part of the investment, Disney will take an equity stake in OpenAI and receive warrants that may allow it to purchase additional shares in the future, aligning the companies’ interests during the term of the agreement.