A major deal to watch unfolds as The Walt Disney Co. signs a 3-year agreement, investing $1 billion (nearly 32 billion baht) to acquire shares in OpenAI. The deal includes a contract allowing the licensed use of Disney characters on the video creation app Sora. Disney becomes Sora's first major partner to authorize proper content usage.
According to the 3-year contract issued by OpenAI,the statementstates that Sora will be able to create short videos or social media clips through prompts. Users can specify from over 200 Disney characters, including those from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars, such as Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Baymax, Toy Story, Up, Zootopia, Captain America, Iron Man, Darth Vader, and many more. This includes costumes, props, vehicles, and iconic Disney scenes.
Additionally, on ChatGPT, users can generate still images using characters from the Disney family. However, under the joint contract, OpenAI is prohibited from using voices or other creator identities.
Bob Iger, Disney's CEO, said, “The rapid advancement of AI marks a pivotal moment in our industry. Through this partnership with OpenAI, we can responsibly and properly leverage GenAI tools while respecting and protecting the work of every creator.”
Beyond the licensing agreement, OpenAI stated that Disney will become a key client, using OpenAI’s API to develop products, tools, and elevate new experiences, including features on Disney+. Disney employees will have full access to ChatGPT.
Disney will invest $1 billion to purchase OpenAI shares, with guarantees to potentially buy more shares in the future.
Disney fans can watch short clips created by Sora on Disney+, and OpenAI will collaborate with Disney to develop new experiences for Disney+ subscribers. Sora and ChatGPT Images are expected to launch licensed Disney video and image creation by early 2026.
Earlier this year, Disney sued Midjourney, an AI platform, for using its content to train image generation and editing models without permission, citing intellectual property infringement. Disney also sent a cease and desist letter to Character.AI, which had allowed users to create chatbots based on various characters, forcing Character.AI to remove all Disney characters.
Disney has been actively pushing back against AI companies exploiting its characters without authorization, leading to lawsuits and demands for AI firms to be held accountable.
Previously, OpenAI advocated for laws permitting the use of publicly accessible works—including copyrighted content—to train AI models without requiring permission or compensation to creators.
This collaboration between Disney and OpenAI opens a new chapter for creators and AI tools to work together, transforming copyright infringement into proper use. Meanwhile, Disney gains insight into AI’s role in the creative industry.
“This agreement demonstrates that AI companies and creative industry leaders can collaborate responsibly to drive innovation beneficial to society, respect creativity’s value, and help works reach broader audiences,” said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. .
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