Disney Invests $1B In OpenAI, Studio Assets Heading To Sora, ChatGPT

The Walt Disney Company and ChatGPT/Sora parent company OpenAI unveiled one of the most significant generative AI agreements in the technology’s young history today, with the former investing $1 billion in the latter.

The agreement will also make more than 200 characters from across Disney’s portfolio available on the video-generating platform Sora and the image-generating platform ChatGPT, with some of the results making their way onto the Disney+ platform. This is not entirely surprising, given that AI-generated content on Disney+ was teased during the company’s recent Q3 earnings call.

This is going to take some time and thought to process, but for now, we wanted to get up the basics in a way that will hopefully be easy to understand.

The Basics

Who’s Involved?

• The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI jointly announced the deal, which sees Disney become the first major content licensing partner on Sora, OpenAI’s video-generating platform.

At The Center

• Disney will license certain character and franchise intellectual property (IP) to OpenAI’s Sora platform, allowing the platform to generate short, user-prompted social videos that draw from that IP.
• Similarly, ChatGPT users will be able to create still images of popular Disney characters.

Terms Of The Deal

• The license duration is three years.
• More than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters are included in the licensing deal, along with associated costumes, props, vehicles, and settings.

Excluded Content

• The agreement does not include any talent likenesses or voices.

Disney’s Platforms

• A selection of fan-inspired videos generated on Sora will be available to stream on Disney+. 

Financial & Business Terms

Investment

• Disney will make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI and receive warrants to purchase additional equity.

Commercial Relationship

• Disney will become a major customer of OpenAI, using OpenAI’s APIs to create new products, tools, and experiences, including for Disney+ and internal employee use of ChatGPT.

Commitments & Controls

Responsible AI Use

• Disney and OpenAI have stated a shared commitment to the responsible use of AI, including protecting user safety and creators’ rights.

Safety Measures

• OpenAI says it is committed to maintaining trust and safety controls across its services as part of the collaboration.

Timeline

Expected Start

• Sora and ChatGPT Images are expected to begin generating fan-inspired videos using the licensed Disney characters in early 2026.

What They’re Saying

Disney CEO Robert A. Iger:

Technological innovation has continually shaped the evolution of entertainment, bringing with it new ways to create and share great stories with the world. The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry, and through this collaboration with OpenAI we will thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works. Bringing together Disney’s iconic stories and characters with OpenAI’s groundbreaking technology puts imagination and creativity directly into the hands of Disney fans in ways we’ve never seen before, giving them richer and more personal ways to connect with the Disney characters and stories they love.

OpenAI CEO And Co-Founer Sam Altman:

Disney is the global gold standard for storytelling, and we’re excited to partner to allow Sora and ChatGPT Images to expand the way people create and experience great content. This agreement shows how AI companies and creative leaders can work together responsibly to promote innovation that benefits society, respect the importance of creativity, and help works reach vast new audiences.