OpenAI is implementing new restrictions for its AI video generator, Sora, following public backlash over unauthorized deepfakes of public figures. The changes come after the company faced pressure from the estate of Martin Luther King Jr. and actor Bryan Cranston.
At the request of Dr. King’s estate, OpenAI announced it paused the ability for users to generate videos resembling the late civil rights leader. The decision followed the creation of what the estate and OpenAI called “disrespectful depictions.” Similarly, actor Bryan Cranston raised concerns after unauthorized clips using his voice and likeness appeared on the app. The daughters of both Dr. King and the late comedian Robin Williams have publicly asked people to stop creating and sharing AI videos of their fathers.
In response, OpenAI is now working with Cranston, the SAG-AFTRA actor’s union, and talent agencies to strengthen its guardrails. “OpenAI believes public figures and their families should ultimately have control over how their likeness is used,” the company stated, adding a process for estates to request that a likeness not be used.
These actions are part of a broader policy evolution since Sora’s launch. OpenAI has also updated its policies to give copyright holders more granular control and reiterated its support for the NO FAKES Act, a proposed federal bill designed to protect against unauthorized AI-generated replicas of individuals.
Sources: TechCrunch, CNBC
