OpenAI has issued a joint statement with actor Bryan Cranston, major Hollywood agencies, and the SAG-AFTRA union, confirming that it will strengthen protective measures within the Sora 2 model—following the emergence of AI videos replicating the likeness and voices of celebrities without their consent.
Cranston revealed video clips in which his digital clone appears in a scene with Michael Jackson, despite never giving permission for the use of his image. OpenAI apologized for the “unintended generations” and announced that, in cooperation with the actors’ union and agencies, it will implement stricter safeguards against misuse.
The statement also calls for support of the NO FAKES Act, a proposed law that would ban the unauthorized use of a person’s voice and likeness in AI-generated content. SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin warned that Cranston’s case “represents thousands of other actors” whose identities are at risk, emphasizing that only consent-based models can be considered acceptable.
This incident once again raises the question of the legal and ethical boundaries of AI—especially in the entertainment industry, where artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to create hyperrealistic visuals. While some celebrities, like Mark Cuban, voluntarily allow AI use of their likeness, most cases, like Cranston’s, highlight how thin the line is between creative innovation and digital exploitation.
In Brief: Tech World Highlights
- Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is shutting down her consumer software startup Sunshine and selling its assets to her new AI company, Dazzle.
- Electric SUV maker Faraday Future’s vehicle caught fire at the startup’s Los Angeles headquarters, causing an explosion that destroyed part of the wall, though no injuries were reported.
- Firefly Aerospace’s hopes for a rapid Alpha rocket launch mission failed after an explosion during Monday’s test.
- Elon Musk revealed that his company xAI is developing “Grokipedia,” which he claims will be a “major advancement” over Wikipedia and a step toward “understanding the universe.”
- Microsoft introduced Agent Mode in Excel and Word, along with an Office Agent in Copilot, allowing users to create tables, documents, and presentations through text commands.
AI Trending Tools:
- Petri – an open-source tool by Anthropic for assessing the safety and behavior of LLM agents.
- Agent Builder – a visual tool for creating multiple agents and their workflows.
- Agent Workflows – a visual editor by ElevenLabs for designing conversational flows.
