OpenAI stops Sora videos of Martin Luther King Jr. after users made ‘disrespectful’ deepfakes

OpenAI halted artificial intelligence-generated videos of Martin Luther King Jr. after users utilized its short-form video tool Sora to create “disrespectful depictions” of the civil rights leader.

“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,” OpenAI said in a post to social media platform X.

The ChatGPT maker said it will work to toughen “guardrails” for historical figures and that public figures or representatives can ask to not appear in Sora videos.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Other public figures have also called out the use of AI deepfakes.

Last week, Zelda Williams, the daughter of late comedian Robin Williams, asked that people stop sending her AI videos of her father.

Last year, actress Scarlett Johansson said the company used a voice that sounded “eerily similar” to her performance in the movie “Her” on ChatGPT. OpenAI later pulled the voice from its platform.

OpenAI launched Sora at the end of September. The tool allows users to create AI-generated short videos using a text prompt. In less than five days, Sora head Bill Peebles said the tool had amassed over 1 million downloads, hitting the milestone faster than ChatGPT.

Its ascent and the rise of AI-generated videos have also raised questions and concerns over the spread of misinformation, copyright infringement and the proliferation of AI slop, quickly produced videos that flood social feeds.