ディズニーでぃずにー、オープンAIへ1550億円せんごひゃくごじゅうおくえん規模きぼの戦略的せんりゃくてき出資しゅっし――生成せいせいAI時代じだいにおけるキャラクターライセンスの新しん展開てんかい

Disney, a major American entertainment company, has officially announced a $1 billion approximately 155 billion yen investment in the American company OpenAI.

Furthermore, Disney has also signed a licensing agreement allowing its famous characters to be used on OpenAIs video generation platform Sora.

This is the first time Sora has received such a large-scale licensing agreement, and it is expected to have a significant impact on the development of its business in the generative AI field going forward.

With this agreement, Sora users will be able to create videos using over 200 Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Ariel, Belle, and Cinderella.

Characters from works such as Frozen, Moana, and Toy Story are also included in the list of those that are permitted to be used.

Furthermore, users of OpenAIs conversational AI ChatGPT will also be able to request the creation of images resembling Disney characters.

Robert A. Iger, CEO of Disney, stated in a statement, The rapid development of artificial intelligence AI is an extremely important turning point for our industry.

Through our collaboration with OpenAI, we are carefully and responsibly expanding the possibilities of storytelling with generative AI, while also respecting and protecting creators and their works, demonstrating a balance between safeguarding and advancing creativity in the age of AI.

On the other hand, Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, said, Disney is a global symbol of storytelling, and we are very pleased to be able to expand the ways people can create and experience more diverse content through collaborations with Sora and ChatGPT Images.

He also emphasized, This agreement paves the way for responsible collaboration between AI companies and creative leaders, aiming to promote innovation, respect creativity, and bring works to new audiences.

Immediately after the announcement, Mr. Iger and Mr. Altman gave an interview to CNBC in the United States. Mr. Iger emphasized, This deal is by no means a threat to creators; rather, the royalties that will be generated ensure that creators are properly respected.

Furthermore, it was stated that this contract is at least partially exclusive, saying, Basically, we have exclusive rights for three years from the start of the contract, but did not disclose specific details.

When asked about the possibility of OpenAI signing similar contracts with other companies in the future, Mr. Altman replied, Im not completely ruling out the possibility of future developments, but I think this agreement is a great starting point, suggesting the potential for future business expansion.