Fictional characters are (officially) coming to Sora as OpenAI manages copyright chaos

OpenAI, the company behind the Sora platform, is working to introduce a system that will allow the use of fictional characters in videos, known as cameos. This comes as a response to the unauthorized and problematic use of copyrighted characters, such as meth-cooking and Nazi SpongeBobs, that have plagued the platform. According to Bill Peebles, the leader of the Sora team, the inclusion of fictional characters is "on the roadmap," with details expected to be announced soon. This move is part of a larger pivot by OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, who is shifting the company's copyright policy from an opt-out to an opt-in model, giving rightsholders more control over the use of their intellectual property. Altman has stated that rightsholders are "very excited" about this new "interactive fan fiction" opportunity and that a revenue-sharing model with them will "start very soon," though the exact payment structure is still being determined.