Animation Guild On Disney–OpenAI Deal: Animators ‘Deserve To Know How Their Contributions To Disney’s Global Success Will Be Used’

The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839, has officially chimed in on the recent announcement of a billion-dollar partnership between The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI, under which Disney content would be licensed for use in Sora, OpenAI’s short-form generative video platform, and ChatGPT, which can generate still images.

The agreement has prompted significant blowback from the industry, from fans, from just about everyone.

TAG is, of course, primarily concerned with the monumental implications this deal raises for its members, but it also argues that the partnership’s potential negative impact will extend to consumers and families worldwide.

According to the guild, as a company built on carefully stewarded intellectual property and trust with audiences, Disney’s embrace of genAI introduces uncertainties around creative integrity, data use, and the protection of user likenesses — particularly those of children — within AI-driven systems.

It’s also striking, though entirely unsurprising, that Disney’s release was careful to include that “The agreement does not include any talent likenesses or voices.” Live-action performers, then, are protected, while animator’s work is not.

The open letter calls on both Disney and OpenAI to provide transparency and accountability regarding how creative work is used, how artists are protected, and how safety and privacy risks will be addressed.

The full post is on TAGs Instagram, and transcribed here:

The Agreement between the Walt Disney Company and OpenAI for Disney to license its content to Sora, a short-form generative AI video platform, raises several major concerns that not only affect animation workers, but consumers and families around the world.

Since the founding of The Animation Guild in 1952, many of Disney’s most iconic characters and worlds have been created by our talented Guild members. Despite their indispensable role behind beloved properties that generate billions of dollars for the company, Guild members have never received compensation for the licensing of these characters, nor will they benefit from the user-generated content made from AI powered by their creative labor.

Disney is a cherished brand, in part, because of how fiercely it has protected its legacy. However, the unpredictability of generative AI is concerning and undermines bot integrity and legacy, even with the most robust guardrails. Moreover, what of the likenesses of users or their children that are uploaded to Disney or Sora? Will these likenesses be protected, especially in the current era where studios and all of their content may be sold to the highest bidder? Will the studio pay users who create hit content or offer any compensation to the artists, writers, and technicians who helped create Disney’s beloved characters?

This announcement brings up serious questions regarding the impact on Guild members and consumers worldwide.

Animation workers deserve to know how their contributions to Disney’s global success will be used, and the public deserves honest answers from both Disney and OpenAI regarding the safety and privacy risks inherent to such a platform.