Image by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash
When Tech Meets Ethics: How a Powerful AI Tool Crossed the Line and What OpenAI Is Doing About It
OpenAI is hitting pause on one of the core features in its new video-generating platform, Sora—and honestly, it’s a move that couldn’t have come soon enough.
On Thursday, OpenAI announced that users can no longer create videos using the likeness of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This step comes after the civil rights leader’s estate formally requested the change, following disturbing user-generated videos made with Sora.
The company confirmed the update in a post on X, saying, “While there are strong free speech interests in depicting historical figures, OpenAI believes public figures and their families should ultimately have control over how their likeness is used.”
So what led to this?
Apparently, people have used Sora’s powerful AI video capabilities to make what can only be described as offensive and deeply inappropriate videos of Dr. King. One particularly shocking example mentioned by The Washington Post included AI-generated footage of Dr. King making monkey noises. Another video showed him wrestling civil rights icon Malcolm X. Yes, really.
Dr. King’s daughter, Bernice King, took to Instagram last week asking people to stop sending her AI-generated clips of her father. She wasn’t alone—Robin Williams’ daughter also made a similar plea after seeing AI recreations of her late father.
Sora, at its core, is an AI video platform launched just weeks ago. It lets users generate realistic videos based on prompts, including those featuring the likenesses of historical figures—or even their friends. Think TikTok meets deepfake technology. The idea was intriguing, maybe even creative. But the public rollout has sparked heated debates about the ethics of AI-generated content, especially when it comes to human representations.
Image by Krišjānis Kazaks on Unsplash
And Dr. King wasn’t the only figure targeted. Users browsing the app will also find questionable videos impersonating Bob Ross, Whitney Houston, and John F. Kennedy, among others. It’s clear that boundaries are being tested—and crossed.
In response, OpenAI says it’s giving estate owners and authorized representatives the right to request that their likeness or intellectual property not be used in Sora videos. They’re not stopping with Dr. King. Restrictions have been quietly added since the app launched, including new controls aimed at giving copyright holders more say in how this technology is used.
It’s a step toward accountability—but let’s be real. It also raises a big, thorny question: How do we balance creative freedom with respect for real people, especially those no longer here to speak for themselves?
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman admitted feeling “trepidation” about Sora on the day it launched. Some OpenAI staff have shared public concerns about whether a social media-like platform fits into the company’s mission, particularly given its nonprofit roots.
According to OpenAI’s Nick Turley, the best way to understand new tech is to put it in the world and see what happens. That philosophy brought us ChatGPT—and now it’s being applied to Sora, too. But the learning curve is steep.
Right now, OpenAI seems to be doing one of the most human things possible in tech: learning as it goes, while trying to do better.
One big takeaway? Just because we can do something with AI doesn’t always mean we should.
—
### Key Takeaways
– OpenAI has paused AI-generated videos of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on its Sora platform.
– The move follows a request from King’s estate after users made offensive, disrespectful videos.
– OpenAI is now allowing estate owners to request that their likeness not be used in Sora.
– The controversy brings new attention to ethical challenges in AI-generated media.
– Other historical figures have been turned into crude deepfakes, sparking the need for stronger guidelines.
Image by moollyem on Unsplash
—
As AI continues to blur the line between real and artificial, companies like OpenAI are facing pressure to draw clearer, more thoughtful boundaries. In the case of Dr. King’s image, that boundary just got a little more defined—and for good reason.
Let’s hope it’s not the last.
Keywords: OpenAI, Sora, AI videos, MLK, ethical AI, AI-generated content, deepfake, AI ethics, historical figures.
