OpenAI’s Sora faces criticism online as talent opts out and infringing content runs unchecked. The MPA issues a statement, as does Nintendo.

The latest version of OpenAI’s Sora adds sound effects and dialogue to generated videos, while the company reverses its initial stance on rights holders opting out of having their content used. Now, more IP holders and talent agencies are speaking out as the anxiety surrounding AI-generated content mounts.

Talent agency WME announced that it was opting all of its clients out of the latest update to Sora, putting OpenAI on notice that the agency is not authorizing the company to use its clients’ likenesses or images in its text-to-video generating tool.

“Our position is that artists should have a choice in how they show up in the world and how their likeness is used and we have notified OpenAI that all WME clients be opted out of the latest Sora AI update, regardless of whether IP rights holders have opted out IP our clients are associated with,” wrote Chris Jacquemin, WME’s Head of Digital Strategy, in a note sent to agents this week.

Prior to the latest Sora update, OpenAI had contacted talent agencies and studios to let them know that IP holders would have to “explicitly ask OpenAI not to include their copyright material in videos the tool creates.”

That policy received significant pushback from insiders and commenters online. Just days later, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman wrote in a blog post that the company will be giving rights holders more control over the use of their content, enabling them to opt in, rather than be required to opt out.

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) also issued a statement about the latest version of Sora.

“Since Sora 2’s release, videos that infringe our members’ films, shows, and characters have proliferated on OpenAI’s service and across social media,” wrote Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the MPA.

“While OpenAI clarified it will ‘soon’ offer rights holders more control over character generation, they must acknowledge it remains their responsibility—not rights holders’—to prevent infringement on the Sora 2 service. OpenAI needs to take immediate and decisive action to address this issue. Well-established copyright law safeguards the rights of creators and applies here.”

Meanwhile, Nintendo, known for its penchant for getting litigious to protect its valuable IP, issued an official statement on the heels of Altman’s blog post. Seemingly, Nintendo’s post is in response to comments from Satoshi Asano, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives. Asano accused Nintendo, in a since-deleted social media post, of “avoiding using generative AI to protect its IP,” and “engaging in lobbying activities with the government” over the increased use of generative AI in the creative sectors.

“Contrary to recent discussions on the internet, Nintendo has not had any contact with the Japanese government about generative AI,” the company wrote, seemingly denying Asano’s accusations. “Whether generative AI is involved or not, we will continue to take necessary actions against infringement of our intellectual property rights.”

Nintendo’s remarks come as a slew of videos generated by Sora featuring Nintendo characters like Pokemon started circulating online. One video in particular shows Sam Altman standing in a field while several Pokemon characters run by in the background as he says, “I hope Nintendo doesn’t sue us.”