Brian Cranston voice and likeness used without consent in Sora training
Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston's voice and facial likeness were used without his permission to train OpenAI's Sora video generation model. After Cranston and actors' union SAG-AFTRA raised concerns, OpenAI strengthened safeguards and committed to opt-in protocols for protecting performers' identities.
What happened
Unauthorised AI-generated clips using Cranston's voice and likeness appeared on the Sora app, including a video appearing to show late pop star Michael Jackson taking a selfie with Walter White, Cranston's character from Breaking Bad.
OpenAI relied on large datasets that included publicly available media, and had few safeguards in place to prevent the system from producing unauthorised imitations of celebrities and copyrighted content.
Reported impact
For actors, the case highlights the loss of control over their own image and voice in the era of generative video, and raises significant concerns over consent, intellectual property rights, and the actual or potential misuse of their identities.
It fuels ongoing industry anxiety about AI's role in replacing human talent and undermining creative livelihoods.
Index analysis
OpenAI claimed the Cranston incident was an unintentional generation, but is widely seen as having deliberately ignored the interests of rightsholders when it launched Sora 2 in a bid to get the app to market quickly, increase awareness, and make money.
The company's initial policies did not fully prevent the use of people's likenesses or voices unless they explicitly participated in the platform's cameos feature, which requires permission.
Governance controls
After talks with actors' union SAG-AFTRA and Cranston, OpenAI said it would strengthen guardrails around unapproved AI-generated content and stated it is committed to responding expeditiously to any complaints.
OpenAI updated its policy to allow rightsholders more granular control over generation of characters and committed to using an opt-in protocol where all artists have the ability to control replication of their voice and likeness.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.