Disney making $1 billion investment in OpenAI, will allow characters on Sora AI video generator

Disney making  billion investment in OpenAI, will allow characters on Sora AI video generator


Disney CEO Bob Iger attends late US actor Chadwick Boseman’s posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame Star ceremony in Los Angeles, California, on Nov. 20, 2025.

Unique Nicole | AFP | Getty Images

The Walt Disney Company on Thursday announced it will make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI and will allow users to make videos with its copyrighted characters on Sora.

OpenAI launched Sora in September, and it allows users to create short videos by simply typing in a prompt. As part of of the startup’s new agreement with Disney, Sora users will be able make content with more than 200 characters across Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars.

“The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry, and through this collaboration with OpenAI we will thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement.

OpenAI said users will also be able to draw from the same intellectual property while using ChatGPT Images, where they can use natural language prompts to create images. 

Tune in at 10:30 a.m. ET as Disney CEO Bob Iger and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joins CNBC TV to discuss the media giant’s investment. Watch in real time on CNBC+ or the CNBC Pro stream.

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