LISTEN: Did OpenAI Kill What Disney’s ‘Super App’ Needs Most?

Variety's 'Strictly Business' podcast features conversations with industry leaders about the business of media and entertainment

By Andrew Wallenstein

Andrew Wallenstein

President and Chief Media Analyst

Latest

• LISTEN: How K-Pop Is Widening the Funnel for an Asian Music Boom 2 months ago
• The Real ‘Heated Rivalry’: The Competitive State of Streaming Originals 4 months ago
• Israeli Entertainment Industry Confronts Its Crisis at Inaugural Jerusalem Sessions Festival 4 months ago

With all the bells and whistles rumored to be a part of Disney‘s “super app” plans, there’s one feature that can be ruled out at this time: the AI magic the company had been conjuring via its recently aborted partnership with OpenAI.

Which begs a question: Will consumers ever be able to create videos that allow them to direct their favorite fictional characters? The Disney-OpenAI collab intended to enable amateur creatives to cast more than 200 characters across the Disney portfolio of beloved icons, from Mickey Mouse to Luke Skywalker, for usage in short videos similar to what it had been doing on its now-shuttered Sora app.

Related Stories

Netflix Orders 'Barbaric' TV Adaptation Based on Vault Comic Series