The CODA group, which represents anime studio Ghibli and Japanese gaming companies Square Enix and Bandai Namco, has filed a written demand with Sora and ChatGPT developer OpenAI to stop using their content to train artificial intelligence tools.
The CODA group, which represents anime studio Ghibli and Japanese gaming companies Square Enix and Bandai Namco, has filed a written demand with Sora and ChatGPT developer OpenAI to stop using their content to train artificial intelligence tools.
In a statement, a group called the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) said that Sora 2 was able to generate results that were «very similar to Japanese content or images» because that content was used as training data, Futurism reports.
CODA stated that in cases «where specific copyrighted works are reproduced or generated similarly,» the group believes that «the act of reproduction during a machine learning process may constitute copyright infringement.»
OpenAI previously trained its GPT-4o model to generate images that replicate various styles, including Studio Ghibli, and on Tuesday made it available to paid subscribers. Just a day after that, social media feeds were filled with memes in the style of Ghibli, the iconic Japanese animation studio. Experienced professionals are also not neglecting the tool, in particular, digital artist from Switzerland Fabio Comparelli, who in 5 hours made a remix of the film «Interstellar» in the style of Miyazaki’s anime.
Many of Sora’s videos have featured Pokémon, including one in which OpenAI CEO Sam Altman deepfake roasts a dead Pikachu, or a video in which Altman looks at a pack of Pokémon playing in a field and then grimaces at the camera and says, «I hope Nintendo doesn’t sue us».
The real Sam Altman acknowledged his fans' fondness for copying anime, though he didn’t mention the outrage it caused.
«In particular, we would like to celebrate Japan’s extraordinary creative output. We are amazed at how deep the connection between users and Japanese content is!», he wrote in a blog post after the launch of Sora 2.
Altman still has a Studio Ghibli-style avatar on his social media.
In mid-October, the Japanese government officially called for an end to the theft of the country’s beloved characters. Minoru Kiuchi, the Minister of Intellectual Property and Artificial Intelligence Strategy, called manga and anime «irreplaceable treasures».
OpenAI initially stated that copyright holders would have to manually opt out of using their works in Sora, but then changed its position after launch and stated that they would be disabled by default.
CODA requires that their content cannot be used to train AI without permission, and OpenAI must «respond sincerely to claims and inquiries from CODA members regarding copyright infringement related to the results of Sora 2's work.»
