Home / Technology / OpenAI Pauses Sora's Depictions of Martin Luther King Jr. Amid Controversy
OpenAI Pauses Sora's Depictions of Martin Luther King Jr. Amid Controversy
17 Oct
Summary
- OpenAI pauses Sora video generations depicting Martin Luther King Jr.
- Some users generated "disrespectful depictions" of Dr. King's image
- OpenAI works with King Estate to address use of Dr. King's likeness
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.
