3 Ways AI Is Quietly Changing Disney

Yesterday, the Walt Disney Company held its earnings call, which gave a lot of insight into the company’s future. Several Disney executives, including CEO Josh D’Amaro, updated shareholders on the company’s goals, profits, and projects.

The panel featured a Q&A portion, where questions were asked about Disney’s usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and expansion of technology. Here’s what D’Amaro had to say.

Even before the Q&A portion of the livestream began, D’Amaro touched on how the company is embracing AI, explaining that they are using AI “to bring the most innovative tools to our storytellers.” He focuses on the fact that AI isn’t just about efficiency, but rather it enhances “a creative process that will always be human-centered, artist-driven, and creator-led.” D’Amaro emphasizes that human creativity will always be at the center.

D’Amaro continued by saying, “AI amplifies what our storytellers can do. It doesn’t replace them.” Not only will it allow teams to work smarter, but it will also be able to be used to serve more consumers in a cost-effective way.

Moving on to the Q&A portion of the panel, several questions were asked regarding technology and AI, the first being from Sean Diffley at Morgan Stanley: “How is AI being used in filmmaking at Disney, and how can we think about cost saving, or is it more of a velocity accelerator?”

D’Amaro made sure it was known that AI was being used across their whole enterprise, not just their studios. They’re doing this “to gain efficiency, to be faster, to accelerate velocity, and unleash creativity inside of Disney.” And it all started with one man — Walt Disney.

However, he thought it was important to note that using AI is not just about efficiency, but it’s also about the creative process. D’Amaro does mention that this process will always be human-centered, so the human creativity aspect will always be embedded into Disney’s productions.

Disney is also using AI across its production pipeline, which increases their ability to get films to the market faster. D’Amaro explains, “It’s letting us expand the number of titles that we can offer in 3D, basically making more of our films available in premium formats, letting us bring visual effects to more shots where it would have been previously difficult or maybe even not economically viable.”

In terms of streaming, AI allows personalization to be further enhanced when consumers are using Disney+. And when it comes to the experiences side, AI is used to reduce some things that are more complex when it comes to planning and booking a vacation.

Another question came from Bryan Kraft at Deutsche Bank: “You’ve discussed making Disney a more agile and technology-enabled organization and have been investing in technology. Where have you seen success thus far? And where do you see the most upside from further investment in tech?”

D’Amaro answered this question by explaining that they’re “unifying consumer data across the entire company so that we can serve our fans better and then drive lifetime value.” The company is also heavily invested in technology to create better experiences for guests in the parks and on cruises.

Robotics, like Olaf in Disneyland Paris, are continuing to be produced so that they can interact with guests in personal and emotional ways rather than just functionally. And when it comes to Imagineering, D’Amaro explains that their teams “are using AI tools to let our Imagineers design more ambitious, more exciting experiences for fans around the world,” and this is happening a lot faster than it was before.

Closing out his answer, D’Amaro said, “We’re focused on becoming a more effective, a more agile, more innovative company in everything that we do at Disney, and technology is the connective tissue that makes all of that possible.”

So, to put it simply, Disney is constantly using advanced technology and AI to bring better experiences to its parks, cruises, destinations, and more! Follow us at AllEars for more Disney news and updates.

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What do you think of Disney World’s usage of AI? Let us know in the comments below!

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