OpenAI Pauses Sora's Depictions of Martin Luther King Jr. Amid Controversy

As of October 17th, 2025, OpenAI has announced that it has paused the generation of Sora videos depicting the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. This move comes after the company received backlash over some users creating "disrespectful depictions" of Dr. King's image through the Sora AI video generation tool.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), OpenAI stated that it has worked together with the Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc. (King, Inc.) to address the concerns over how Dr. King's likeness is represented in Sora generations. The company acknowledged that while there are strong free speech interests in depicting historical figures, it believes public figures and their families should ultimately have control over the use of their likeness.

Following requests from the King Estate, OpenAI has now paused the generation of videos featuring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Sora app. The company has also thanked Dr. Bernice A. King and others, including John Hope Bryant and the AI Ethics Council, for creating a space for these important conversations.

In a separate update, OpenAI has announced new features for the Sora 2 AI video generation tool, including the availability of storyboards for Pro users and the ability for all users to generate videos up to 15 seconds on the app and web, with Pro users able to create videos up to 25 seconds on the web.