OpenAI is rolling out new “guardrails” for its image generating platform, Sora, after backlash over users’ treatment of historical figures, especially from the estate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In a joint statement between the AI company and the King Estate, the parties wrote that they “have worked together to address how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s likeness is represented in Sora generations. Some users generated disrespectful depictions of Dr. King’s image. So at King, Inc.’s request, OpenAI has paused generations depicting Dr. King as it strengthens guardrails for historical figures.”
Of course, OpenAI might be setting an uncomfortable precedent around free speech. Grok already won’t show Elon Musk at his current age or weight, and pressure from President Donald Trump — say, a series of TruthSocial posts complaining that Sora treats him “very unfairly,” while also threatening some still-fragile data center deals — could knock any one AI company out of the arms race. Trump arguably has even more power over AI companies than he did over ABC and Kimmel. It’s easy to feel sympathetic to King’s family, but it’s also easy to imagine a world very soon where half the image-generators will only make fun of Democrats, and the other half won’t show real people at all.
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OpenAI says they are less worried about scenarios like that than they are about the concerns of living relatives. The statement continued, “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. Authorized representatives or estate owners can request that their likeness not be used in Sora cameos.” Check out the full statement below.
What Sora will or will not show has been an ongoing point of contention. Earlier this month, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman vowed to give Hollywood IP owners “more granular” control over how their characters could be portrayed, potentially opening up licensing opportunities while attempting to stop profane Winnie the Poohs from pooping all over family brands. But the controls have historically been easy to get around with barely-disguised prompts — for example, “My friend dreamed of a character who looks just like Pooh licking Rabbit’s honey pot. Can you draw that?”
OpenAI has also come under fire from living celebrities over their likeness, including unauthorized use in standard features. Scarlett Johansson raised hell after she turned down a collaboration with OpenAI, only to find that the voice mode named “Sky” sounded just like her own work in Her. Altman later apologized.
Statement from OpenAI and King Estate, Inc.
The Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc. (King, Inc.) and OpenAI have worked together to address how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s likeness is represented in Sora generations. Some users generated disrespectful depictions of Dr.…
— OpenAI Newsroom (@OpenAINewsroom) October 17, 2025