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OpenAI launched its Sora app with an explicit ban on creating AI-generated videos of public figures. But it turns out the policy doesn’t apply to dead celebrities.
Sora users have been publishing AI-generated videos featuring the likes of pop star Michael Jackson, painter Bob Ross, and rap artist Tupac Shakur, all of whom are deceased.
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Unlike lower-quality deepfakes, many of the Sora videos appear disturbingly realistic and accurately mimic the voices and facial expressions of deceased celebrities. Some of the clips even contain licensed music.
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This made me wonder if the AI-generated clips violated OpenAI’s pledge to “block depictions of public figures (except those using the cameos feature, of course).” But according to OpenAI, the videos are fair game. “We don’t have a comment to add, but we do allow the generation of historical figures,” the company tells PCMag.
(OpenAI)
Sora has also been allowing users to create deepfakes of popular fictional characters — such as Nintendo’s Mario or Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants — a feature that could expose OpenAI to a wave of intellectual property lawsuits.
Still, the ability to create deepfakes involving popular dead celebrities and fictional properties is certainly amusing, and it promises to boost Sora’s appeal. The invite-only iOS app launched on Tuesday as OpenAI’s first social media platform, which could take on TikTok.
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Still, it’s not hard to imagine these AI-generated creations being mistaken for a historical fact, or even abused to spread misinformation. Others might even object to seeing Malcom X or Bruce Lee in an AI-generated clip that depicts them doing something they might not have approved of while alive. As a safeguard, all Sora videos currently include a watermark.
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The company is also allowing depictions of living public figures, but only with their permission through the Cameo feature, which lets anyone deepfake themselves with Sora.
Google faced some controversy over AI-generated images of historical figures last year, but for the opposite reason. It produced anachronistic historical images, like an African American Founding Father and Asian and indigenous soldiers as members of the 1929 German military. Google paused the option to create images of people for a few months to make “technical improvements.”
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, PCMag’s parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
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About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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