OpenAI has left the company without approval, a landmark move that marks a decisive shift in the way major media conglomerates approach artificial intelligence (AI). disney Princess is using its tools to create a $1 billion partnership with the House of Mouse itself. Disney CEO Bob Iger and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street In a TV interview where the deal was co-revealed, he explained: “We’d rather be part of pretty dramatic growth than just watch it happen and basically be disrupted by it.” He also rethought the question of how artificial intelligence could reshape entertainment, business and even work itself: “Someone once said to me that creativity is the new productivity, and I think you’re starting to see that more and more.”
Iger said the deal, which brings Disney’s intellectual property into OpenAI’s video generation platform Sora, aims to balance “aggressive” intellectual property protection with a willingness to accept inevitable technological disruption. Under the terms of the three-year agreement, Disney will license approximately 200 characters for use in Sora, allowing users to create characters based on Mickey Mouse, Star Wars personality.
Iger sees this partnership not as a concession to artificial intelligence, but a necessary evolution that can actually be good for human artists. That’s because the deal doesn’t include names and likenesses, nor does it include character voices. “So, actually, this doesn’t represent a threat to creators at all, quite the opposite in fact. I think it’s a sign of respect and respect for them, in part because of the licensing fees associated with it.” Iger repeatedly emphasized that Disney hopes to be at the forefront of technology reshaping entertainment. “No generation has ever stood in the way of technological progress, and we don’t intend to try.”
The partnership stands in stark contrast to Disney’s relationships with other tech giants. The same day the OpenAI deal was announced, Disney sent a cease and desist letter arrive Google Regarding the alleged misuse of intellectual property rights. Iger explained the divergence in approach by noting that, unlike Google, OpenAI agreed to “respect, value and respect” Disney’s content through licensing fees and safety guardrails. “We have been aggressively protecting our intellectual property and going after other companies that do not respect our intellectual property,” Iger said, adding that conversations with Google had failed to “produce results.”
A win-win partnership?
For its part, OpenAI is reportedly under pressure from the aforementioned Google, with its Gemini 3 being criticized by, for example, Salesforce Billionaire Marc Benioff–The deal represents validation of its technology for generating video. Ultraman told CNBC that user demand for Disney characters is “a little bit beyond expectations,” and he envisions a future where fans can generate custom content, such as “a custom birthday video for Buzz Lightyear” or a personalized lightsaber scene. Altman believes the partnership will unlock the public’s “potential creativity” by reducing the skill and effort required to turn ideas into reality.
The partnership will also extend to Disney’s own streaming platform. Iger revealed plans to integrate “user-prompted Sora-generated content” directly into Disney+. Specifically, he said Disney “has long wanted to have what we call user-generated content on our platform,” suggesting the partnership is a defensive move by the streaming giant Youtube Social media hub TikTok is partly controlled by the Ellison family, which also controls entertainment rival Paramount.
The deal includes undisclosed stock warrants, giving Disney a financial interest in OpenAI’s success. Iger confirmed the authorizations but declined to provide further details. He compared this forward-thinking approach to Disney’s 2005 decision to license shows to iTunes, viewing the OpenAI partnership as a “profound wave” of change in modern society.
Iger revealed that the groundwork for the deal was laid several years ago, saying he first met Ultraman in 2022, when he retired from Disney and later returned as CEO. Altman provided Iger with a “roadmap” on the direction of OpenAI, and since then, Disney has been “impressed” with OpenAI’s development, with all of Altman’s predictions starting in 2022 coming true much faster than either party realized. Iger added that Disney sees a huge opportunity to license other products from OpenAI in the coming years, which he believes will be a big boost to “basically achieving a lot of the goals that we think we need to accomplish in the coming years.”