OpenAI (OPENAI) has halted the usage of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s image on its artificial intelligence video generation app Sora, following “disrespectful depictions” the Microsoft-backed (NASDAQ:MSFT) company announced.
“The Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc. and OpenAI have worked together to address how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s likeness is represented in Sora generations. Some users generated disrespectful depictions of Dr. King’s image,” OpenAI wrote in a post on X. “So at King, Inc.’s request, OpenAI has paused generations depicting Dr. King as it strengthens guardrails for historical figures.”
The Sora app allows users to transform text prompts and images into realistic short videos. These can then be shared with friends and other users in the app.
“While there are strong free speech interests in depicting historical figures, OpenAI believes public figures and their families should ultimately have control over how their likeness is used,” the company said. “Authorized representatives or estate owners can request that their likeness not be used in Sora cameos.”
The Sora app currently ranks as the No. 1 free download in the Apple (AAPL) App Store. It is followed by OpenAI’s ChatGPT at No. 2 and Google’s (GOOG)(GOOGL) Gemini at No. 3. The app is not yet available on Android, so it has not arrived on Google Play, but it is available for pre-registration in the U.S. and Canada.
The app was downloaded more than 1M times within the first five days of its launch in late September, despite initially being available by invite only and just in North American markets.