Disney's new deal with OpenAI


‽ "Only one thing is impossible for God: to find any sense in any copyright law on the planet." - Mark Twain

Hello Reader,

If you've tried to make an AI-generated image with Mickey Mouse or The X-Men, you've hit the copyright guardrails.

Content violations are a moving target, and it takes just as much luck as prompting skill to try and evade these guardrails.

You may be aware that Steamboat Willie (an early iteration of Mickey mouse) recently entered the Public Domain, which lifts some of the byzantine restrictions. You can still make Mickey mouse images, but it's hard. This guy figured out how, but soon, it may be easy for all of us.

Disney just signed a 3-year licensing deal with OpenAI, which will:

  • Allow users to generate media with 200 Disney and Marvel characters in ChatGPT and Sora, OpenAI's video generator
  • Add the best user-generated videos to Disney+
  • Invest $1 billion in equity from Disney into OpenAI

You can read the full agreement (or have Ai give you an overview) here.

“Technological innovation has continually shaped the evolution of entertainment, bringing with it new ways to create and share great stories with the world,” said Robert Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “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. Bringing together Disney’s iconic stories and characters with OpenAI’s groundbreaking technology puts imagination and creativity directly into the hands of Disney fans in ways we’ve never seen before, giving them richer and more personal ways to connect with the Disney characters and stories they love.”

“Disney is the global gold standard for storytelling, and we’re excited to partner to allow Sora and ChatGPT Images to expand the way people create and experience great content,” said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. “This agreement shows how Ai companies and creative leaders can work together responsibly to promote innovation that benefits society, respect the importance of creativity, and help works reach vast new audiences.”


Practice Coaching with Ai

This January, I am hosting a free weekly Ai Coaching Power Hour.

💡 Ai Coaching Power Hour

This interactive Zoom session is designed to give you one hour of focused reflection, a gentle push forward, and a supportive community to help you grow.

Thanks for registering for this event! I look forward to seeing you there.

4 Mondays in January 3-4pm NZ time // Sundays 6-7pm Pacific time

Your GenAI Trainer,

Caelan Huntress

[email protected]

Follow Me On:

You've subscribed to a newsletter, downloaded a lead magnet, or attended an event with Caelan Huntress.

You can unsubscribe if you don't like this newsletter, but you will miss out on dope memes in the future.

PO Box 8081, Riccarton, Christchurch 8440
Unsubscribe · Preferences

GenAI Training Newsletter

Generative AI improves your Productivity, Creativity, and Strategy - but only if you build the GenAI Habit. Learning how to incorporate GenAI Training into your day will help knowledge workers prepare for the future of work.

Read more from GenAI Training Newsletter

🧭 “Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.” - James Clear Hello Reader, How was 2025 for you? Every year, I have published an Annual Review on my personal website. This annual ritual of introspection has given me: Reminders of what worked well Reflection on what could have gone better Collection of the metrics that matter An artifact to preserve my progress Every year, my Annual Review contains 4 parts: What were my victories? What could have gone...

䷿ "Context engineering is the systematic discipline of designing, constructing, and delivering a complete informational environment to an AI model prior to generation." - Antonio Gulli Hello Reader, Even the best prompts will fail without the right context. Giving AI backstory and reference material will create a landscape that is suitable to your scenario. The art of Context Engineering is providing enough material to an LLM so that it can provide you with better results. In a session with...

📊 “The AI displacement of white-collar jobs is upon us. The traditional career path is dying, and AI-driven productivity is redefining what’s possible.” - Peter Diamandis Hello Reader, I am sure your inbox has been overflowing this past week! As a general rule, I habitually avoid Black Friday. My years as a marketer taught me that there is so much noise on this weekend, the only way to reliably earn attention is deep discounts that attract cheap customers. I prefer to provide lots of value...