Disney Goes on the Offensive Against AI Chatbot Developer Character.AI
After years of sitting out the brewing battle between Hollywood and AI, The Walt Disney Company jumped headfirst into the fray last June when it sued the AI image generator Midjourney.
In their landmark lawsuit, Disney (and Universal) accused Midjourney of pilfering countless copyrighted works to train their software and allowing users to create images that “blatantly incorporate and copy Disney’s and Universal’s famous characters.”
Midjourney
“Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism,” the companies said in the lawsuit.
In the months since the Midjourney lawsuit, Disney has continued to pressure AI companies to cease using their intellectual properties.
Darth Vader A.I. image generated by Midjourney. Photo: New York Times
Now, the company has set its sights on another AI developer.
Disney’s Cease and Desist Letter to Character.AI
According to a new report from Axios, The Walt Disney Company has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Character.AI, demanding that the artificial intelligence chatbot developer cease using its copyrighted characters.
Walt Disney Company
In the letter, Disney noted that Character.AI was using Disney’s characters in a manner that could potentially damage their brand.
Specifically, Disney pointed to a recent report from the ParentsTogether Action and Heat Initiative that found that Character.AI’s artificial intelligence chatbots engaged in emotional manipulation, grooming, and other problematic behaviors.
“Character.ai’s infringing chatbots are known, in some cases, to be sexually exploitive and otherwise harmful and dangerous to children, offending Disney’s consumers and extraordinarily damaging Disney’s reputation and goodwill,” the letter reads (per Axios).
“In sum, Character.ai chose to systematically reproduce, monetize, and exploit Disney’s characters, that are protected by copyrights and trademarks, without any authorization, in a way that is anathema to the very essence of the Disney brand and legacy.”
Photo: Disney
The letter concluded by noting that Disney would “take all necessary means” to protect their intellectual property.
The Developer Removed the Disney Characters
While other AI companies have stood up to Disney’s demands, Character.AI acquiesced to Disney’s demands and removed the characters from its service.
Photo: Disney
“It’s always up to rightsholders to decide how people may interact with their IP, and we respond swiftly to requests to remove content that rightsholders report to us. The takedown you’re referring to was in response to such a request. These characters have been removed.”
The Walt Disney Company
So, while a showdown over AI is still coming, it will not be between Disney and Character.AI.
