OpenAI‘s much-anticipated “Media Manager” tool, initially promised in May 2024 to allow creators and content owners to opt out of having their work used in AI training, appears to have stalled. Despite early excitement and a blog post outlining its potential, insiders suggest that the tool is no longer a priority for the company, with little to no progress reported in the seven months since its announcement.
The Media Manager was envisioned as a groundbreaking tool that would help identify copyrighted text, images, audio, and video across multiple sources, offering creators more control over how their work is used in AI research and model training. The blog post, published in May 2024, emphasized that the tool would be the first of its kind, requiring significant advancements in machine learning to reflect creator preferences. However, as 2025 begins, insiders say the feature has been sidelined.
TechCrunch spoke with several sources within the company, who revealed that the Media Manager has not received attention since its announcement. “I don’t think it was a priority,” said one former OpenAI employee. “To be honest, I don’t remember anyone working on it.” Additionally, a non-employee familiar with the company’s operations confirmed that there have been no recent updates, and the person who was overseeing the tool, Fred von Lohmann, has since transitioned to a part-time consulting role.
OpenAI has faced increasing scrutiny over its use of copyrighted content for training its models, including its Sora model, which can generate material featuring copyrighted characters and works. The AI system is trained on vast datasets that may include such content, and it struggles to differentiate between original and altered works, leading to potential legal challenges. OpenAI is currently defending itself against class-action lawsuits from artists, writers, news organizations, and YouTubers who allege the company used their content without permission.
Since the initial announcement, OpenAI has not provided any public updates on the Media Manager tool, leaving creators and content owners wondering when—or if—they can expect the promised opt-out solution.
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