Google removed AI-generated videos of Disney characters after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the media and entertainment giant on Wednesday.
Disney's legal warning specifically pointed to the YouTube links to these videos and demanded their immediate removal.
Which AI videos of Disney characters did Google remove?
Popular Disney characters whose AI videos have been removed by Google include Mickey Mouse, Deadpool, and figures from Star Wars and The Simpsons. These were created using Google's AI video tool Veo.
The link reportedly worked until Thursday, but now redirects users to a message that says, “Due to a copyright claim by Disney, this video is no longer available.”
The removal of AI videos of widely known Disney characters comes just before Disney announced a 200 character licensing agreement with OpenAI, allowing users of its Sora platform to create short AI clips.
The media giant appears intent on preventing the unfair use of AI for its characters.
Disney provided Google with a list of characters it wants removed from YouTube and YouTube Shorts, including characters from “Frozen,” “Moana,” “Toy Story” and “Winnie the Pooh.”
According to an official statement, Google has agreed to work with Disney on the issue. “We have a long-standing and mutually beneficial relationship with Disney and will continue to engage with them,” Google's statement said.
Can Google use Disney characters for AI training?
Disney also recommended that Google implement safeguards to prevent its AI tools from generating Disney characters and stop using these characters to train AI models.
