*OpenAI’s new AI video tool, Sora 2, has sparked outrage for producing hyper-realistic depictions of deceased public figures. Among the most controversial clips are videos of Malcolm X making distasteful remarks, which his daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, called “deeply disrespectful and hurtful,” per The Washington Post.
Shabazz questioned why the developers were not acting “with the same morality, conscience, and care … that they’d want for their own families.”
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We reported earlier that an AI-generated video of late rapper Tupac Shakur casually shopping at Target has gone viral online, reigniting public debate over the use of artificial intelligence in recreating deceased celebrities. The short clip features a digital likeness of 2Pac pushing a cart, greeting fans, and selecting items from the store.
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As Hot New Hip Hop reports, many social media users expressed discomfort with the video’s realism and implications. “I know some auntie on Facebook fell for this video saying PAC alive…AI is scary man,” one person commented after The Neighborhood Talk posted the clip.
Others connected the viral clip to previous legal concerns surrounding AI and the rapper’s legacy. “And his estate should sue them just like they sue Drake,” one user said, referring to the estate’s past threats of legal action against Drake for using an AI-generated version of 2Pac’s voice in a diss track.
Sora 2 has surged in popularity due to its speed and realism, with viral videos featuring Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and Amy Winehouse. Some clips are humorous, while others are darker or offensive, such as Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash scenario. The debate extends to political figures as well, with AI recreations risking misinformation.
The tool’s ability to recreate public figures has raised ethical concerns, especially as OpenAI initially exempted “historical figures” from consent rules. Families of deceased celebrities have expressed anger and distress. Zelda Williams, daughter of Robin Williams, wrote, “To watch the legacies of real people be condensed down to … horrible, TikTok slop puppeteering them is maddening.” Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., echoed the call to “please stop” sharing such videos.
Experts like Henry Ajder note that AI-generated “synthetic resurrection” content challenges traditional ideas of posthumous identity, allowing strangers to manipulate the likenesses of the dead without oversight.
“Commercially, if you create meme-able content of famous people who are recognizable, that’s going to get more clicks,” said Ajder. “With deceased individuals, this opens up such a huge question about ownership of likeness, and really fundamentally changes the social contract around what it means to be you online.”
In response to backlash, OpenAI announced it would allow representatives of “recently deceased” public figures to request the removal of their likenesses from Sora videos. However, legal protections are limited, and emotional harm from such portrayals often goes unaddressed.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: AI Video Depicting Tupac Shopping at Target Draws Criticism
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