OpenAI halts MLK videos after estate's concerns
OpenAI has paused the ability for users to generate AI-generated videos of Martin Luther King Jr. in its Sora app after his estate raised concerns about disrespectful content.
Sora, launched a few weeks ago, originally let users create videos of historical figures without needing consent.
Now, OpenAI says families of public figures can ask to block their likeness, explaining, "public figures and their families should ultimately have control over how their likeness is used."
AI videos of public figures
Dr. King's daughter, Bernice King, has urged people to stop making and sharing these AI videos, echoing calls from Robin Williams's daughter, who has also spoken out about insensitive uses of their loved ones' images.
The rise of these AI videos—featuring not just civil rights icons but also celebrities like Whitney Houston—has sparked bigger conversations about consent, ethics, and who gets to decide how someone's image is used in the age of AI.