OpenAI BANS Martin Luther King Jr. Sora Videos After ‘Disrespectful’ Deepfakes Go Viral
Media Take Out learned that OpenAI just banned people from creating videos of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. using its new Sora AI video generator — after users started making some wildly disrespectful clips featuring the civil rights icon.
According to reports, a bunch of creators — many from overseas content farms in China, India, and other countries— started flooding social media with AI-generated videos showing Martin Luther King Jr. doing all kinds of crazy things. We’re talking about him rapping, flashing jewelry, hitting on women, and using slang that Dr. King would never say in real life.
And after the internet blew up about how out of line the clips were, OpenAI finally decided to pull the plug.
“Too Far” — Even for the Internet
While OpenAI promotes Sora as a tool for creativity and storytelling, the MLK videos went way past the line. Folks on social media — especially within Black Twitter — called the clips “disrespectful” and “a slap in the face to history.”
Sources tell Media Take Out that the company temporarily suspended all accounts tied to the viral clips and confirmed that MLK’s likeness is now restricted on the Sora platform.
A spokesperson reportedly said OpenAI made the decision “to protect the integrity and dignity of historic public figures,” and that the company would start working directly with estates and families of famous individuals before allowing anyone to generate their image.
Most of the Disrespect Came from Overseas
Here’s the crazy part — most of the offensive MLK videos weren’t even made in the U.S.
Experts believe that AI content farms overseas — the kind that mass-produce viral clickbait videos — were responsible for a big chunk of the “fake” MLK content. They’ve been using Sora to pump out shocking, algorithm-friendly clips that generate views and ad money, with no regard for cultural sensitivity.
One clip that went viral last week showed “AI MLK” rapping with chains around his neck and talking down to women. Another had him dancing in a nightclub surrounded by models.
Needless to say, the internet wasn’t having it.
The Internet Reacts
One user tweeted:
“This is why AI shouldn’t be in the wrong hands. They got MLK acting like Future.”
Another wrote:
“These people are not from our culture — and it shows. You don’t mock a man who died for equality.”
Even Dr. King’s estate reportedly contacted OpenAI to complain about the misuse of his image, demanding tighter guardrails around historical Black figures.
Media Take Out’s Take
Look, AI is powerful, and it’s here to stay. But when outsiders start using technology to twist and humiliate one of the greatest Black leaders in history — that’s when it goes too far.
OpenAI made the right move banning MLK’s likeness, but this shows the slippery slope we’re on. What happens when folks start doing this with Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, or even Barack Obama next?
AI shouldn’t be a playground for disrespect.
OpenAI says it plans to build new “ethical guardrails” around Sora to stop this from happening again, but let’s be real — once something hits the internet, it’s out there forever.
Stay tuned — Media Take Out will keep you posted as this story develops.