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Disney just flipped the script by licensing its biggest characters to OpenAI for AI video creation, which means the future of work will involve navigating AI creativity without accidentally turning your board deck into a Marvel multiverse. OpenAI also confirmed an adult mode for ChatGPT with looser restrictions for verified users, which is great news if you want fewer blocked answers but still a reminder that HR policies will not magically grow up with the AI. Microsoft quietly embedded GPT-5.2 into everyday Office tools through Copilot, meaning your emails, meetings, and spreadsheets just got a lot smarter while your excuse for missing insights quietly retired.

Here’s what’s shaping the future of AI today.

In today’s AI Pulse

• 📊 Gladly – AI-powered CX insights for smarter growth.

• ✍️ Axios HQ – Write clearer, faster, and communicate with impact.

• ⚡ Mindstream – Work Smarter with ChatGPT—Not Harder

• 🎬 Disney – Licenses Iconic Characters for AI.

• 🔞 ChatGPT – Plans Adult Mode for Users.

• 🧑‍💼 Microsoft – Brings GPT-5.2 into Office.

• ⚡ In AI Today – Quick Hits

The next wave of AI might not fold your laundry… but it could finally untangle your entire life.

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🎬 Disney Goes All‑In on AI Video

🧠The Pulse

OpenAI and Disney struck a landmark three‑year licensing deal allowing fans to generate short videos featuring Mickey, Pixar and Marvel characters using OpenAI’s Sora. Disney invested US$1 billion for equity and warrants. The agreement marks a dramatic pivot from lawsuits to collaboration.

📌The Download

• First major licensing deal – Disney and OpenAI agreed to let users create AI‑generated videos featuring more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars characters. It’s the first time a big entertainment studio has licensed its intellectual property to a generative‑AI platform.

• Financial stakes – The partnership includes a US$1 billion equity investment by Disney and warrants to purchase additional OpenAI shares, signalling long‑term strategic alignment amid escalating AI costs and competition.

• Use‑case expansion – Fans will generate videos through Sora and ChatGPT; Disney will also deploy OpenAI’s models to develop new Disney+ products and internal tools. Character voices and actor likenesses are excluded to avoid legal issues.

• Industry shift – The deal reverses months of litigation between studios and AI firms. Disney CEO Robert Iger said it will “responsibly extend” Disney storytelling, while OpenAI’s Sam Altman called it a model for collaborative innovation.

💡What This Means for You

Expect your favourite franchises to appear in AI tools sooner than you think. The deal signals that creative IP owners are ready to license content rather than block AI outright. Workers should watch how licensing models evolve and ensure corporate AI uses respect rights and ethical guidelines.

🔞 ChatGPT to Add an Adult Mode

🧠The Pulse

OpenAI confirmed an “adult mode” for ChatGPT is planned for the first quarter of 2026. The setting will relax certain content restrictions for verified adults while maintaining protections for minors. OpenAI says it will rely on verification plus age-prediction tools to reduce underage access and misuse risks.

📌The Download

• Age gating: OpenAI is deploying age-prediction systems to distinguish minors from adults. Adult mode access will be limited to verified adults, with safeguards intended to prevent underage users from enabling the setting and to keep minors shielded from mature outputs, even when prompts attempt to bypass protections.

• Relaxed restrictions: Applications CEO Fidji Simo said the mode will “treat adult users like adults,” allowing more mature content. Sam Altman said earlier restrictions aimed to mitigate mental-health risks, and the company now plans to ease limits as safety tools and enforcement mechanisms mature.

• Rollout timing: Adult mode is slated for launch in Q1 2026, aligned with broader GPT-5.2 deployment. OpenAI says it will publish verification procedures and operational guidance to reduce misuse, maintain accountability, and clarify what content becomes permissible under the new setting.

• User feedback: The change follows user complaints that ChatGPT has become overly restrictive. OpenAI says it is balancing user expectations with safety, keeping protections for minors while offering adults more control and fewer blocked responses.

💡What This Means for You

Professionals should expect looser content filters when using ChatGPT for personal use next year. However, companies must set clear guidelines for acceptable workplace use and ensure compliance with internal policies.

🧑‍💼 Microsoft Adds GPT‑5.2 to Microsoft 365 Copilot

🧠The Pulse

Microsoft announced that GPT‑5.2 is now available in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio. Users can switch between GPT‑5.2 Instant and Thinking within Office apps. The integration connects Copilot to Work IQ for deeper insights and tasks across emails, meetings and documents.

📌The Download

• Model choice: GPT-5.2 Instant is positioned for fast responses across everyday writing, translation, and skill-building tasks, while GPT-5.2 Thinking is designed for deeper analysis, structured reasoning, and strategic insight when you need careful tradeoffs and multi-step planning.

• Contextual reasoning: With GPT-5.2, Copilot can query organizational context across emails, calendars, and documents, pulling relevant details from your existing data. This enables more grounded market research summaries, planning support, and decision-ready insights without manually collecting inputs across tools.

• Prompt examples: Microsoft highlights prompts such as comparing shifts in industry dominance from 2000 to 2025, or summarizing meeting highlights tied to objectives, milestones, and follow-ups. The aim is to make Copilot behave more like a workflow assistant than a single-answer chatbot.

• Rollout schedule: GPT-5.2 is rolling out immediately to Copilot license holders and is expected to reach all Microsoft 365 Premium subscribers early next year, expanding access beyond early adopters.

💡What This Means for You

Office users can access state‑of‑the‑art language models directly inside familiar tools. Prepare to experiment with GPT‑5.2’s deeper reasoning to plan strategy, summarise meetings or compare market data. As AI gets embedded in productivity suites, training employees on prompt design and critical evaluation becomes essential.

IN AI TODAY - QUICK HITS

⚡Quick Hits (60‑Second News Sprint)

Short, sharp updates to keep your finger on the AI pulse.

• Oboe Raises $16 M to Build AI‑Generated Courses: Oboe, an AI‑powered learning startup led by Anchor’s co‑founders, secured $16 million in Series A funding led by a16z. The platform uses AI to create personalised courses from a user’s learning goal and is revamping its service to scale globally.

• Adobe Brings Photoshop, Express & Acrobat to ChatGPT: Adobe launched new apps that embed Photoshop, Adobe Express and Acrobat directly into ChatGPT, making it possible for 800 million weekly ChatGPT users to edit images, design graphics and manipulate PDFs using conversational prompts.

🙌 About Us

AI Pulse is the official newsletter by AIGPE™. Our mission: help professionals master Lean, Six Sigma, Project Management, and now AI, so you can deliver breakthroughs that stick.

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