Summary
OpenAI stopped users from making videos of Martin Luther King Jr. on its Sora app after complaints about disrespectful depictions. The Sora app uses AI to create realistic deepfake videos, which led to concerns from families of public figures and legal issues related to unauthorized use of likenesses. OpenAI is working on improving controls to prevent misuse of the app.
Key Facts
- OpenAI’s Sora app allows users to make deepfake videos of historical figures.
- Martin Luther King Jr.'s estate complained about disrespectful videos made on the app.
- OpenAI and King’s estate issued a statement to block these AI videos.
- The Sora app lets users create videos by recording themselves, but it initially allowed videos of public figures without consent.
- Many families of deceased public figures, like Robin Williams and others, criticized the app for not respecting rights of publicity.
- In California, rights to a person’s likeness are controlled by their heirs for 70 years after their death.
- OpenAI changed the app to allow rights holders to opt-in for their likeness to be used.
