Changes in US stocks | Spending $1 billion to invest in OpenAI and reach a major licensing agreement, Disney (DIS.US) rebounded the market and rose more than 1.4%

The Zhitong Finance App learned that on Thursday, Disney (DIS.US) shares reversed the market and rose more than 1.4% to 110.38 US dollars. The company announced that it will invest $1 billion in shares in OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, and sign a heavyweight licensing agreement to allow Sora, a generative video model under OpenAI, to create AI video content using Disney's rich intellectual property rights.

Under this three-year collaboration, OpenAI will be able to generate AI video content using more than 200 characters from the Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars universes. Users will also be able to watch selected Sora-generated videos on the Disney+ platform. The agreement does not include any portrait rights or voice licenses for real actors.

Disney said that under this partnership, the company will become an important enterprise customer of OpenAI, use its API to develop new products, tools and user experiences, including Disney+ features, and will deploy ChatGPT internally to assist employees in their work. The two sides expect that Sora and ChatGPT Images will launch consumer-created fan-to-video content in early 2026, using Disney's multi-brand licensed characters.

OpenAI CEO Ultraman said in a statement: “Disney is the gold standard in global storytelling, and we are very excited to collaborate to enable Sora and ChatGPT Images to expand the way people create and experience content.”

Disney CEO Eiger also stated, “The rapid development of artificial intelligence is of great significance to our industry. Through our partnership with OpenAI, we will expand the impact of Disney stories in a prudent and responsible manner while respecting and protecting creators.”