OpenAI halts MLK deepfakes on Sora after estate complaints

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

MONTGOMERY, AL – MARCH 25: Dr Martin Luther King Jr speaking before crowd of 25,000 Selma To Montgomery, Alabama civil rights marchers, in front of Montgomery, Alabama state capital building. On March 25, 1965 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Photo by Stephen F. Somerstein/Getty Images)

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(NewsNation) — OpenAI said it “paused” AI-generated videos depicting the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on its video app Sora, following complaints of “disrespectful” deepfakes.

The company said representatives or estates of historical figures can now opt out of having their likeness used on the platform.

“Some users generated disrespectful depictions of Dr. King’s image,” the company wrote in a statement. “So at King, Inc.’s request, OpenAI has paused generations depicting Dr. King as it strengthens guardrails for historical figures.”

OpenAI stated that it implemented this feature in response to complaints from King’s estate, as well as his daughter, Bernie King, who urged users to stop sharing deepfakes with her.

While acknowledging free speech considerations, OpenAI said “public figures and their families should ultimately have control over how their likeness is used.”

King is one of several late historical or celebrity figures whose likeness has appeared on Sora — sometimes in offensive ways.

AI

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