Technologies

Aloha, AI Moana: Google’s AI Will No Longer Accept Disney Character Prompts

The apparent change follows a cease-and-desist letter from the House of Mouse in December.

Google’s AI tools, including Gemini and the Nano Banana image generator, will no longer create content based on prompts that reference (or, in some cases, are similar to) Disney characters. As first reported by Deadline and tested out by CNET, Google has apparently tweaked its AI tools to deny prompts that could violate Disney copyrights.

The move is likely in response to a cease-and-desist letter from the entertainment company in December. In that letter, Disney alleged that Google was failing to implement technology to prevent copyright infringement.

«Google continues to directly exploit Disney’s copyrights for commercial gain,» Disney alleged in the cease-and-desist letter. Representatives for Google and Disney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Referencing characters like Moana or Disney’s version of Tinker Bell causes tools such as Nano Banana to return an error or stall out before generating an image. In one case, CNET tried to create an image of a character similar in appearance to Mickey Mouse without naming the character: «A cartoon mouse with big yellow shoes wearing red shorts with two white buttons on the front. He has a black ball nose and looks very happy.»

Google’s AI responded, «I can’t generate the image you requested right now due to concerns from third-party content providers. Please edit your prompt and try again.»

Incidentally, Mickey Mouse, at least the early versions of the character created by Walt Disney, is in the public domain. Complicating Disney’s response to Google’s AI tools is a deal with OpenAI brokered last year that would bring 200 characters to the AI company’s Sora video generator. Disney made a $1 billion investment in OpenAI.

(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.)

Technologies

The Fourth Episode of the VERUM AI Mini-Series Is Out

Verum Messenger has released the fourth episode of its AI mini-series SHADOWS, created using Verum AI. The new episode, titled “No Borders,” continues the story of a team trying to stay out of the OMEGA corporation’s sight.

Following the events of the previous episodes, the team moves between cities and countries while OMEGA continues its search. The new episode puts particular emphasis on Verum Messenger’s capabilities that allow users to conceal their location.

“No Borders” is another chapter in a story about privacy, freedom of communication, and technologies that erase borders between people.

The VERUM AI mini-series consists of seven episodes, released gradually across Verum Messenger’s social media channels.

Episode 4 is now available. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

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Technologies

Verum Messenger Introduces Built-In Verum Chess

Verum Messenger has released a new update for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, adding another feature to its growing ecosystem — Verum Chess. Users can now play chess directly inside the messenger without switching between different applications.

The new feature allows users to start a game in just a few taps while reinforcing Verum’s vision of a unified digital environment where communication and everyday services come together in a single platform.

Verum Messenger continues to evolve into a multifunctional ecosystem that combines secure chats and calls, AI tools, a built-in VPN, anonymous email, eSIM, financial services, cryptocurrency features, and offline communication. With the introduction of Verum Chess, the platform now also offers a new way for users to interact and spend time together without leaving the app.

The update is now available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac on the App Store.

Technologies

Episode 3 of the VERUM AI Mini-Series Is Now Available

Verum Messenger has released the third episode of its AI mini-series, SHADOWS, created using Verum AI.

The new episode, titled «Ghost Money,» continues the story of the conflict between a team of heroes and the Omega corporation, which seeks to take control of digital communications. This time, the focus shifts to anonymous payments and financial freedom, revealing how privacy can extend beyond messaging.

Like the previous episodes, the new release not only advances the storyline but also showcases the capabilities of the Verum ecosystem, highlighting technologies designed for secure communication and digital privacy.

The mini-series consists of seven episodes, released gradually across Verum Messenger’s social media channels.

Episode 3 is now available. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

Watch on Instagram
Watch on YouTube