Google seems to be cracking down on the use of Disney characters in AI-generated videos on YouTube after it was hit with a cease and desist letter. The company on Friday that will bring Disney characters to Sora and ChatGPT, and bring AI-generated shorts from Sora to Disney+. By subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy . By subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy .

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at blocking states from enforcing their own artificial intelligence (AI) regulations. We want to have one central source of approval, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. It will give the Trump administration tools to push back on the most onerous state rules, said White House AI adviser David Sacks. The government will not oppose AI regulations around children's safety, he added. The move marks a win for technology giants who have called for US-wide AI legislation as it could have a major impact on America's goal of leading the fast-developing industry.

Google has announced plans to team up with the UK to invite researchers to come up with uses for the tech giant's state-of-the-art quantum chip Willow. It is one of several firms competing to develop a powerful quantum computer - which is seen as an exciting new frontier in the future of computing. Researchers hope they will be able to crack problems in fields such as chemistry and medicine which are impossible for current computers to solve. Professor Paul Stevenson of the University of Surrey - who had no involvement with the agreement - told the BBC it was great news for UK researchers. The collaboration between Google and the UK's national lab for quantum computing means more researchers will get access to the technology.

Disney is hedging against the future. OpenAI is clearing a path for Sora. And together they've made a blueprint for how AI and Hollywood can move forward. On Thursday, Disney and OpenAI announced a deal that might have seemed unthinkable not so long ago. Starting next year, OpenAI will be able to use Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, Ariel, and Yoda in its Sora video-generation model .

GPU prices could follow RAM's big rise It looks like Disney wasted no time delivering on CEO Bob Iger's promise to bring AI-generated content to Disney+. On Thursday, the company announced the start of a three-year licensing agreement with OpenAI to bring more than 200 of its beloved characters, including those from Star Wars and Pixar, to the Sora app and ChatGPT. With the deal in place, OpenAI users will be able to prompt ChatGPT to generate images that tap into Disney's intellectual property, with costumes, props, vehicles and environments covered. The agreement does not include voices or "talent likenesses," meaning Sora users won't be able prompt the app to make a video with Black Widow and get something with Scarlett Johansson in it. Instead, both Sora and ChatGPT will only have access to animated and illustrated versions of Marvel and Star Wars characters like Black Panther, Captain America, Han Solo, Darth Vader and others.

It's been a busy month for Midjourney. This week, the generative AI startup released its sophisticated new video tool, V1, which lets users make short animated clips from images they generate or upload. The current version of Midjourney's AI video tool requires an image as a starting point; generating videos using text-only prompts is not supported. Midjourney did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Disney and Universal reiterated statements made by its executives about the lawsuit, including Disney's legal head Horacio Gutierrez alleging that Midjourney's output amounts to "piracy."

Oregon State student-athlete Jade Carey follows up with Pac-12 Networks after No. 13 Oregon State women's gymnastics defeats No. 21 Arizona State on Saturday, Feb. 5 in Corvallis. Carey scored her first collegiate perfect 10 with a phenomenal performance on Bars. Follow Pac-12 women's gymnastics this season with the Pac-12 Now App. Download the Pac-12 Now App today and set alerts for Pac-12 women's gymnastics to make sure you never miss a moment of the action. Pac-12 Now is available today in your app store for iOS, Android, and Apple TV.

Toyboyfan continues to create his amazing and realistic remakes of Disney characters. His previous post got lots of love so if you missed it, click here! The project "In Real Life" has been updated with 15 more characters that were created using A.I. and then fixed by Toyboyfan, because the program doesn't do a good job and the first version can look quite weird. The artist explained the process in more detail in the previous post. Toyboyfan shared what changed after his work was shared on Bored Panda: "Being featured on Bored Panda was an amazing experience.

The next time you're strolling through a Walt Disney theme park, your snugly hug or photo with your favorite character may be with a super realistic robot-- and not a person in a costume. Disney Enterprises Inc. announced it has filed a U.S. patent for a 3D printed, interactive, soft robot. The application describes the new "soft body" robot to be built specifically for "physical interaction with humans." Disney has a dedicated robotics research department, which is currently developing several projects designed to create a "future in which robots interact with humans in complex, unpredictable environments." If thoughts of a sci-fi world where sentient Disney characters take over the planet and wipe out humanity crossed your mind, fear not, the patent details the robots will actually be operated via a romote controlled device.