In a landmark shift for both Hollywood and generative AI, The Walt Disney Company is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and licensing more than 200 of its iconic characters—spanning Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars—to appear in Sora, OpenAI’s AI-driven short-video generator.
Under a three-year agreement, fans will soon be able to generate and share AI-created clips featuring these characters based on text prompts, with select content even slated for distribution on Disney+. The deal explicitly excludes real actors’ likenesses or voices, aiming to strike a balance between creative expansion and IP protections.
This move marks Disney’s most significant embrace of AI to date, transitioning from past legal challenges over unauthorized use of its properties to a strategic partnership that embeds generative models at the heart of its storytelling ecosystem.
Disney will also adopt OpenAI’s technology internally—incorporating tools like ChatGPT across its operations and products—while both companies stress “responsible” use aimed at protecting creators’ rights. The collaboration signals a broader trend of legacy content owners forging deeper alliances with AI platforms, even as the industry continues wrestling with questions around creative labor, copyright and the cultural impact of automated media.