Connect with us

Technologies

Disney’s $1B Deal With OpenAI Will Bring Iconic Characters to Sora AI Videos

You’ll be able to create videos with your favorites from Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar and more. Certain clips will also be available to watch on Disney Plus.

Disney is bringing more than 200 of its biggest characters, from Marvel to Star Wars and Pixar, to OpenAI’s Sora AI social media app and AI images in a $1 billion equity investment deal, the companies announced on Thursday. That means Sora users will soon be able to generate AI videos featuring any of Disney’s included characters, with no fear of copyright infringement.

Sora is the sister app to ChatGPT. It’s an AI social media app, letting its users create and share AI-generated videos. Its popularity blew up right from its September launch, with the app reaching the No. 1 spot in the Apple and Google Play app stores at the height of its popularity this fall. AI models like Sora have been frequent targets of copyright infringement lawsuits, with copyright holders claiming AI companies are allowing their users to create unauthorized ultra-realistic versions of their protected characters. Disney is currently suing Midjourney AI for this, calling the AI firm «a bottomless pit of plagiarism.» With this new deal with OpenAI, Disney is giving OpenAI explicit permission for Sora to use its intellectual property. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

From what we know so far of the three-year licensing deal, Sora users will have access to over 200 «animated, masked and creature» characters from its most popular franchises beginning in early 2026. Marvel superheroes, Disney princesses and Star Wars icons will all be replicable in AI video clips. Environments (like the world of Encanto), costumes, props and vehicles are also included. Talent likeness — meaning the likenesses of real humans in Disney’s TV shows and movies — is not part of this deal, nor are voices. Theoretically, that means you could create an AI video of Steve Rogers, but it wouldn’t include Chris Evans’ voice.

Read More: New Pricing for Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Is Here. What You Need to Know

Part of why the Sora app is so popular is its ability to create extremely realistic depictions of people, which drew a lot of concerns over its deepfake abilities. Celebrities and public figures have been outspoken about the potential harms. The estate of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., actor Bryan Cranston and actors union SAG-AFTRA have all reached out to OpenAI with concerns. Disney and OpenAI said in their statements that the companies «affirmed a shared commitment to maintaining robust controls» to prevent Sora users from creating illegal or harmful content. OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment on the nature of those controls by the time of publication.

«The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry, and through this collaboration with OpenAI we will thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works,» Disney CEO Bob Iger said in the press release.

The deal also makes Disney «a major customer» of OpenAI. Disney employees will have access to ChatGPT, and the entertainment company will use APIs to «build new products, tools and experiences.» Part of that deal will apply to Disney Plus, with the company saying its Disney Plus streaming subscribers will be able to watch select Sora AI videos on the Disney Plus app. Disney did not respond to a request for comment on other potential use cases for OpenAI’s technology by the time of publication.

For more, check out our guide to copyright and AI and the best AI video generators.

Technologies

Prime Video Hits Pause on Error-Filled AI Recaps

People reported the AI tool struggling with interpreting key scenes properly.

Amazon launched a limited beta of AI-generated Video Recaps for selected in-house Prime Video shows last month — titles like Fallout, Jack Ryan, The Rig, Upload and Bosch. But now the feature has made a generative AI about-face, with reports of it being removed from the app after fans found errors in the Fallout recap and posted about them online.


Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.


The Video Recaps feature stitches together video clips, audio effects, snippets of dialog, music and an AI-generated voiceover narration. According to Amazon, it «analyzes a season’s key plot points and character arcs to deeply understand the most pivotal moments that will resonate with viewers as they enter the next season.» 

But as reported earlier by GamesRadar, a viewer recently posted in the r/Fallout subreddit that the season one recap incorrectly dated Cooper Howard’s flashbacks to 1950 when they were actually set in 2077. 

«‘Cooper offers Lucy a choice in the finale: die, or join him’ phrased as if he’d be the one to kill her,» another viewer posted on X, describing one of the other AI errors in the recap.

Several outlets then noted that the recap option in the app seems to have disappeared. CNET Senior Editor Corinne Reichert’s app still displays the recap option, but nothing happens when it’s clicked.

As someone with a terrible memory, I would really, really like these types of features to work. Hope springs eternal, I guess. 

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Continue Reading

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Dec. 13

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 13.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s so long, it’s almost not a mini version today. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Field trip vehicle
Answer: BUS

4A clue: Peter’s antagonist, in a musical tale
Answer: WOLF

8A clue: «Keep me posted,» in texts
Answer: LMK

9A clue: Opera solo
Answer: ARIA

10A clue: ___Pen (emergency device)
Answer: EPI

11A clue: With 12-Across, gets in order
Answer: SETS

12A clue: With 14-Across, what a tennis champ might win a match in
Answer: STRAIGHT

14A clue: See 12-Across
Answer: SETS

15A clue: «A long time ___ in a galaxy far, far away …»
Answer: AGO

16A clue: Shy and gentle
Answer: MEEK

17A clue: Prefix with apology or answer
Answer: NON

18A clue: Comes to a close
Answer: ENDS

19A clue: Have to pay
Answer: OWE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: «Goodness gracious!»
Answer: BLESSME

2D clue: Indefinitely many, informally
Answer: UMPTEEN

3D clue: Avoided, as an issue
Answer: SKIRTED

4D clue: «Now, where ___?»
Answer: WASI

5D clue: Green topping at a pizza parlor
Answer: OREGANO

6D clue: John who played Churchill on «The Crown»
Answer: LITHGOW

7D clue: Sneaky trick to «pull»
Answer: FASTONE

13D clue: Doesn’t just assume one has permission
Answer: ASKS


Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.


Continue Reading

Technologies

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Series 10: Are the Differences Enough to Justify Upgrading?

At first glance, the new Apple Watch Series 11 looks a lot like its previous-year model. We compare the specs to see what’s changed.

If you’re looking at getting an Apple Watch this holiday season, you have a tough choice: Should you buy the latest Apple Watch Series 11, or find a Series 10 that has most of the same features at a lower cost? Apple made incremental changes to its flagship smartwatch, while also introducing significant improvements to the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3.

There are still enough differences to make you look twice at moving up (especially if you’re coming from an older model). Let’s compare the models side by side and tease out the finer details.


Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.


Pricing the Apple Watch Series 11

The Series 11 has kept the same price as the Series 10. It starts at $399 for the model with an aluminum body or $699 for one made of titanium.

Add $30 for the larger 46mm case size in aluminum, or $50 for titanium. Opting for a model with a cellular radio that connects independently to networks adds $100. And if you choose a band made of something other than rubber or textile — a stainless steel link bracelet, for example — the price climbs further. Unfortunately, you can’t order just the watch case; you have to select a new band, even if it ends up in your drawer in favor of one you already own and prefer.

There’s also a titanium Apple Watch Hermès model available in silver titanium in both sizes that starts at $1,249.

Apple no longer sells the Series 10, since the Series 11 replaces it, but you can still find refurbished Series 10 models for less from Apple, and new models from other retailers while supplies last.

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Series 10: Outward design

The Series 11 and Series 10 share the same case design and materials. The larger model measures 46mm tall by 39mm wide, while the smaller comes in at 42mm by 36mm. (Kudos to Apple for continuing to offer two sizes to accommodate people with different-sized wrists.) They’re also both 1mm slimmer than the Apple Watch models that came before, at 9.7mm.

Despite being mostly the same in dimensions, the Series 11 is slightly heavier than the Series 10. For example, the 46mm aluminum GPS Series 11 weighs 37.8 grams, up slightly from 36.4 grams for the Series 10. The 42mm versions come in at 30.3 grams and 30.0 grams, respectively.

For colors, the Series 11 adds a space gray aluminum option to go along with rose gold, silver and jet black. Both models are also available in titanium finishes of slate, gold and natural.

The physical controls are unchanged: the dial that Apple calls the Digital Crown and a side button (that Apple cleverly calls the «side button»). Only the Apple Watch Ultra includes a third physical control: the Action button.

Also noteworthy: The titanium Series 11 is made of 100% recycled titanium, up from 95% recycled material in the titanium Series 10. The display glass is made of 40% recycled glass in the Series 11; no amount is listed for the Series 10. And the battery in the Series 11 uses 100% recycled cobalt and 95% recycled lithium. (The Series 10 lists only 100% recycled cobalt.)

Series 11 vs. Series 10 screens

The screens on both the Series 11 and Series 10 watches have a wide-angle LTPO 3 OLED display. That means it’s easier to see the contents from an angle, and the always-on display refreshes once per second, allowing the seconds counter to move even when the watch is in inactive mode.

LTPO3 screens are also more power efficient. The screens reach up to 2,000 nits for clear visibility in sunlight and dim down to just 1 nit in darkness.

The key difference between the Series 11 and Series 10 screens lies in the glass covering. On the Series 11 aluminum models, Apple uses Ion-X glass, which it claims is twice as scratch-resistant as the glass on previous aluminum versions. The titanium Series 11 uses a sapphire crystal display.

Apple Watch processor and chips

Normally we’d highlight how the new processor improves on its predecessor, but for 2025 Apple stuck with the same S10 processor found in the Series 10. That also means the other chips remain the same, too: the W3 Apple Wireless chip, the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip (for precise Find My location tracking), a four-core Neural Engine and 64GB of storage.

Battery power: Series 11 vs. Series 10

Battery life is where the two models get really interesting. Apple doesn’t reveal how large the built-in lithium-ion battery is or its capacity, but it is claiming up to 24 hours for the Series 11 compared to 18 hours for the Series 10. In Low Power Mode, that’s up to 38 hours for the Series 11, up from 36 hours in the Series 10.

It’s not entirely clear where Apple squeezed an extra six hours of battery life out of what appears to be mostly identical hardware. Both phones use the same S10 processor, though there are likely software optimizations in WatchOS 26. CNET lead writer Vanessa Hand Orellana found that, at least initially, Apple may be undercounting the battery performance, writing in her review, «With notifications turned on (heavy Slack-ing and texting), at least one 30- to 45-minute outdoor workout a day, a full night of sleep tracking and some mild flashlight use, I’ve consistently managed to squeeze between 27 and 32 hours per charge.»

As for charging the watches, both the Series 11 and Series 10 can be charged up to 80% in about 30 minutes. Apple says that with a 20W power adapter, 15 minutes of fast charging provides up to 8 hours of regular use, while just five minutes is enough for eight hours of sleep tracking — thanks to the watch’s much lower power demands while you’re asleep. Apple’s comparison information for the Series 10 doesn’t list those last two metrics, but that seems more due to it being a marketing point last year versus a new capability in the Series 11.

Comparing the sensors of the Series 11 and Series 10

The Apple Watch’s sensors power health features that range from heart-rate monitoring to depth sensing to precise location tracking. That said…

They’re identical in the Series 11 and Series 10. No changes here.

Another change: Connectivity in the Series 11 and Series 10

One of the more notable changes in the cellular models of the Series 11 is support for 5G networks, specifically a power-efficient type called 5G Reduced Capacity (or 5G RedCap). That allows it to connect to both 5G and LTE networks without having to go through a connected iPhone, and the 5G speeds should be better. By comparison, the cellular Series 10 supports LTE and UMTS (3G).

Part of incorporating 5G into the Series 11 models is a redesigned cellular antenna and an algorithm that «simultaneously engages the two system antennas when needed, significantly increasing the signal strength,» according to Apple’s Series 11 press release. That algorithm is exclusive to the Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3, per Apple.

Both Apple Watch models support Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) at 2.5GHz and 5GHz speeds. (Apple’s comparison page only lists the speeds for the Series 11, but an Apple Watch Wi-Fi support page notes 5GHz has been supported since the Series 6 watches.)

Both watches talk to the iPhone and other peripherals using Bluetooth 5.3.

WatchOS 26 on the Apple Watch Series 11 and Series 10

The new features of WatchOS 26 come to both watch models, including hypertension notifications, Sleep Score and the Blood Oxygen app (making its reappearance in the US amid an ongoing legal dispute). Apple’s comparison page lists the new Wrist Flick gesture for the Series 11 but not the Series 10, but that must be a typo because I can confirm that it works on my Series 10 watch.

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Apple Watch Series 10

Apple Watch Series 11 Apple Watch Series 10
Design & sizes Rectangular, 42mm, 46mm Rectangular, 42mm, 46mm
Display 42mm: 446 x 374 pixels, LTPO3 OLED Retina display, Wide-angle OLED 46mm: 416 x 496 pixels, LTPO3 OLED Retina display, Wide-angle OLED 446 x 374 ppi, LTPO3 OLED Retina display, Wide-angle OLED
Brightness Between 1 and 2000 nits 2000 nits
Thickness & weight 46mm size: 9.7mm; 37.8g (aluminum), 36.9g (aluminum GPS+Cellular), 43.1g (titanium) 42mm size: 9.7mm; 30.3g (aluminum), 29.7g (aluminum GPS+Cellular), 34.6g (titanium) 9.7mm; 30-41.7g (46mm titanium model)
Material & finish Aluminum: jet black, rose gold or silver finish; titanium: slate, gold or natural finish Aluminum: jet black, rose gold or silver finish; titanium: slate, gold or natural finish
Durability 5ATM Water + IP6X (dust) 5ATM Water + IP6X (dust)
Battery life Up to 24 hours, up to 38 hours Low Power (always-on) + Fast charge: 80% in 30 min, 100% in 60 min 24-30 (always-on) + Fast charge: 80% in 30 min, 100% in 60 min
Sensors ECG, 3rd-gen optical heart sensor, skin temp, depth gauge, SpO2, Noise monitoring, water temperature, compass ECG, heart rate, skin temp, depth gauge, SpO2, Noise monitoring
Emergency features Satellite SOS, Emergency SOS, Fall detection, Crash detection, Check in and Backtrack Emergency SOS, Fall detection, Crash detection, Check in and Backtrack
AI & coaching Siri (voice assistant); Workout Buddy Siri (voice assistant); Workout Buddy
Processor S10 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor, W3 Apple wireless chip S10 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor, W3 Apple wireless chip
RAM/Storage 64GB (storage) 64GB (storage)
Payments Apple Pay Apple Pay
Price (US) $399-$750 (titanium) $399-$750 (titanium)

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version