The Writers Guild of America said Disney’s massive licensing deal with OpenAI appears to “sanction” the AI company’s “stealing our work”.
“Disney’s announcement with OpenAI seems to sanction its theft of our work and give the value of what we create to a technology company that built its business off our backs,” the union said in a message to members Thursday. WGA said it will meet with Disney “to investigate the terms of this agreement, including the extent to which user-generated videos use the work of WGA members. We will continue to fight to protect the creative and economic interests of our members in the context of AI technology.”
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Under Disney’s three-year licensing agreement, OpenAI’s Sora will be able to generate user-generated videos from a set of more than 200 masked, animated or creature characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars. Sora and ChatGPT Images are expected to begin generating “fan-inspired” videos with licensed Disney characters in early 2026. Additionally, as part of the deal, Disney will make an equity investment of $1 billion in OpenAI.
According to the WGA’s message to members, “Companies including OpenAI have stolen vast libraries of studio-owned works created by WGA members and Hollywood workers to train their artificial intelligence systems. We have repeatedly called for studios to take legal action to defend the valuable intellectual property we help create.”
Disney said the deal with OpenAI does not include any likenesses or voices of talent. It also does not allow OpenAI to use Disney’s intellectual property in training its AI models.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google, alleging that Google’s AI platforms resulted in copyright infringement of Disney IP on a “massive scale”. The WGA applauded the move, saying Disney’s cease-and-desist letter to Google recognizes the value of the IP that writers help create “and we will continue to press companies to take action.”
Representatives for Disney and OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
SAG-AFTRA, the actor’s union, issued a cautionary statement about the Disney-OpenAI deal, saying it would “closely monitor” the situation.
“SAG-AFTRA will closely monitor the agreement and its implementation to ensure compliance with our contracts and with applicable laws protecting image, voice and likeness,” the union said. “SAG-AFTRA members are deeply focused on the rapidly expanding use of intellectual property and individuals’ likenesses and voices through generative AI tools, and SAG-AFTRA remains vigilant about any such use.”
SAG-AFTRA continued, “We acknowledge Disney and OpenAI’s independent engagement with us on this matter and their assurances that they will fulfill their contractual and legal obligations to artists and continue to implement systems to ensure ethical and responsible use of this technology.”
The union said it had entered into months of “frank discussions” with OpenAI about artist protection. “The ongoing dialogue reflects a significant commitment to take into account the concerns of SAG-AFTRA members in the protective measures applied to image, likeness, voice, performance, and intellectual property rights in general,” the union said.
Among the Disney characters that will be available for AI-generated creations are Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Lilo, Stitch, Ariel, Belle, Beast, Cinderella, Baymax, Simba and Mufasa, as well as characters from films and franchises including “Encanto”, “Frozen”, “Inside Out”, “Moana”, “To U Inctory”, “Monsters Inctory”. “Zootopia.” Also included under the deal are animated and illustrated versions of Marvel and Lucasfilm characters such as Black Panther, Captain America, Deadpool, Groot, Iron Man, Loki, Thor, Thanos, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Leia, the Mandalorian, Stormtroopers and Yoda.
On Disney+, users will be able to watch curated selections of videos generated by Sora. OpenAI and Disney also said they will collaborate to use OpenAI’s models to “drive new experiences for Disney+ subscribers, and power innovative and creative ways to connect Disney’s stories and characters.”
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