Paul Stenhouse: Disney characters are coming to Sora, Reddit rallies against Australian social media ban

Disney characters are coming to Sora  

The three-year partnership with OpenAI will bring Disney’s iconic characters to the company’s Sora AI video generator. But no voices will come with them, and only animated characters will be included, like Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, and Simba. 

A key part of this deal: Disney is also making a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI. And the user-generated creations will be able to be used by Disney on things like Disney+.  

I'm surprised Disney did this deal. They’re known in the industry as having some of the strictest rules about how their IP can be used. They're suing Midjourney for IP breaches, so maybe this is their way to profit from what they already know will happen even if they choose not to be involved.  

 

Reddit doesn't think it should be banned for kids in Australia  

It's making two arguments: first it says that the law limits free political discourse of children. This feels weak.  

It's second argument feels stronger: it calls itself a “collection of public fora arranged by subject”. It's basically saying that because you don't typically follow people on Reddit, you follow subjects, that it's not a social media app. It argues that people engage in interactions about that content, not person to person.   

 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks at BE.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
We started the show this morning by talking about the
Australian Social Media Band which has just come in to
effect for under sixteen year old So you remember there
are ten platforms or sites or apps that are currently
banned under the Australian legislation, but one of them, Reddit,
has decided to take Australia to court. Our Textbert Paul

(00:33):
Steenhouses here with the details. Good morning, Paul. What does
Reddit have to say for itself?

Speaker 3 (00:39):
Yeah, I'm backing readit on this one. I think, actually Jack,
it's making two arguments. I think one of them is
better than the other. So the first one is that
it says that the law limits the free political discourse
of children. Now I would probably say if you can't
vote until you're eighteen, That one feels a little bit weak,
But I like its second argument. Okay, Now, read it

(01:00):
as a website where you effectively it's like one of
the almost old school forums. You talk about topics, and
you post questions, and you get answers, and you post
interesting links and discuss them. It's not really about people, okay,
And so Reddit has called itself in front of the
courts a collection of public fora arranged by subject, which

(01:25):
I kind of liked. Whoever wrote that kind of needs
a needs a little check mark beside their name. But
what it's saying is that because you don't typically follow
people like you do on other social platforms like your facebooks,
like your instagrams, they believe that they should be immune.
They say, you follow subjects, and of course they don't.

(01:47):
They don't lie about the fact they or they don't.
You move away from the fact that there are interactions
between people, but it's not really about person to person
communication on Reddit. And they say, as part of the
case that you know, you're basically discouraging knowledge sharing.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
Yeah. See, I am quite an enthusiastic Reddit user, if
we are to call it social media broadly. Yeah, I
think it's really good, and so I follow a few things.
Kind of resonate with me in that argument. So, first
of all, you don't follow people, so you follow subject
matter that's interesting to you. I think I follow. I

(02:26):
follow various geography related subreddits, various political subreddits. I follow
a submarine enthusiasts subreddit, things like that. Right, New Zealand
gardening subreddits, personal finance subreddit stuff like that.

Speaker 3 (02:45):
I find it funny when people start to say, what
the I know?

Speaker 2 (02:49):
I know, are you honestly surprised that at submarines and
geography and that it took me so long to find it?

Speaker 3 (02:54):
That it's nerdy as everything? Which is the problem.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
Yes, your deepest, darkest thoughts.

Speaker 3 (02:59):
Are kind of revealed accidentally, But it's why people never
want to share their username on Reddit.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
That's exactly what I'm about to say next. So people
don't use their don't use their names, and don't really
post as themselves, right they post you just kind of
have anonymous names. But also the culture of Reddit, and
maybe this comes down to the subreddits that I follow.
It's not very nasty. It's often quite helpful. You can post,
you know. Sometimes I post things and say yeah, and
I say, oh, this is I'm having a problem with this,

(03:25):
Like sometimes I do it in the New Zealand gardening one.
I say, ah, what's wrong with this plant? And people say, oh,
give it a bit of this. I know, I know
I use both, so yeah, I'm I'm sort of supportive
of Reddit. What do you think though, as as someone
who you know thinks deeply about the impact that social
media and digital platforms are having on our lives. Do

(03:47):
you think that the Australian law is net positive or
net negative? What do you think?

Speaker 1 (03:55):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (03:55):
Boy? I like it in concept. I just don't know
how you really enforce it right. I don't know what
mechanisms they using to actually make sure the kids staying
off of it. But I mean, look, I think it
will probably introduce a whole generation of kids to VPNs. Yes,
maybe it'll make them a little more tech savvy. Look,

(04:16):
do I think that kids need to be on it?

Speaker 1 (04:18):
No?

Speaker 3 (04:19):
Do I envy parents of teenagers or tweens or whatever
they called like, Absolutely not. I think making those decisions
about when they go on these types of services is tough, right.
The peer pressure is real. But yeah, but I hate
to be that person to say it's going to be
a wait and see. But I do think I was
away a couple of weeks ago in Hamilton Island in Australia,

(04:43):
in the Great Barrier reef. And this is going to
sound a little bit crazy, but the town, the little
island felt like it was kind of stuck in time
and I was on holiday, so I wasn't really on
my phone, wasn't on my laptop, and boy, I did
think it feels like a simpler life when you don't
have your device. I think for that reason, Yeah, I
think for that reason. It's like I think I can

(05:04):
see where Australia is going, and it may big headlines
over here in the UIs now everywhere in the world,
all the yeah, all the big networks are covered it.
I think a lot of the sentiments when it's when,
when will America be bold enough?

Speaker 2 (05:16):
Yeah, yeah, I tend to agree with that. It's going
to be very interesting to see if other countries are
quick to follow. Thank you so much, Paul. That's our
Texbert Paul Steenhouse.

Speaker 1 (05:25):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks d B from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.