OpenAI’s Sora 2 video app reached 1 million downloads in five days after its October launch in the US and Canada. The app lets users create deepfake videos of deceased celebrities and historical figures. Relatives of those depicted say the content is disrespectful. Legal experts warn it may reshape how people remember the dead.
How Sora Works and What Users Create
Sora turns text prompts into 10-second videos within minutes. Users can share clips on a TikTok-style feed or export them elsewhere. The app allows likenesses of dead celebrities but requires consent from living people. OpenAI defines historical figures as anyone famous who has died.
According to The Guardian, the main feed shows Adolf Hitler in shampoo ads and Martin Luther King Jr. making crude jokes. Videos also depict Stephen Hawking, Kobe Bryant, and Amy Winehouse in disrespectful scenarios. The algorithm rewards shock value. One video shows King making monkey sounds during his I Have a Dream speech.
Families React to AI Resurrections
Ilyasah Shabazz, Malcolm X’s daughter, told the Washington Post the videos are deeply hurtful. Zelda Williams asked people to stop sending AI videos of her father Robin Williams. She called the content horrible TikTok slop. Kelly Carlin said videos of her father George Carlin are overwhelming and depressing.
Legal Questions Remain Unresolved
A major question is whether AI companies are covered by section 230 and not liable for user content. If OpenAI is protected, it cannot be sued for what users make on Sora. Ashkhen Kazaryan, an expert in technology policy, says legal uncertainty will last until the Supreme Court takes a case in two to four years.
Three states grant postmortem right of publicity. New York, California, and Tennessee prevent commercial use of someone’s likeness after death. But navigating these laws for AI remains a grey area without legal precedent. James Grimmelmann, an internet law expert at Cornell Law School, says OpenAI could not intimately resurrect Christopher Lee for a horror film. He asks why OpenAI can resurrect him for thousands of shorts.
OpenAI announced last week it will let representatives of recently deceased public figures request blocking their likeness. The company has not defined recently or explained how requests will be handled. Bo Bergstedt, a generative AI researcher, says most users treat Sora like entertainment. But if they monetize content featuring the dead, they could face lawsuits from estates.
