Overview
- Disney will take a $1 billion equity stake in OpenAI and receive warrants to buy additional shares, with the transaction subject to board approvals and customary closing conditions.
- A three-year license makes Disney Sora’s first major content partner, enabling more than 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars to appear in short AI-generated videos and images.
- The agreement excludes talent likenesses and voices, reflecting creator and estate concerns over unauthorized use.
- Sora and ChatGPT Images are expected to offer licensed character generation in early 2026, and a curated selection of user-made Sora clips will stream on Disney+.
- Beyond licensing, Disney will use OpenAI APIs to build new products and features and will deploy ChatGPT for employees, with both companies pledging safety controls and respect for creator rights.