Three years later, the company announced a substantial research and development initiative in collaboration with renowned technology universities across the globe, funding laboratories at institutions such as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bob Iger, currently in his second tenure as Disney's CEO, made the adoption of technology one of his three major priorities when he initially assumed the role in 2005.Īlso read: Hollywood strike may hit Indian box office Presently, Disney holds more than 4,000 patents with applications spanning theme parks, films, and merchandise, according to records from the US Patent and Trademark Office. In 1928, the company unveiled "Steamboat Willie," the first-ever cartoon with synchronized sound. History of Disney's engagement with technological innovationsĭisney's engagement with technological innovation dates back to its earliest days. Visual effects supervisors involved in the latest "Indiana Jones" film highlighted the labour-intensive efforts of over 100 artists who dedicated three years to digitally "de-ageing" Harrison Ford, allowing the actor to appear as a younger version of himself in the movie's initial scenes. This sentiment was shared by a second source and confirmed by a former Disney Imagineer, who chose not to disclose their identity due to a lack of authorisation to speak publicly.ĭisney has been cautious in its public discourse about AI. In the context of Disney's parks business, AI could enrich customer support and create innovative interactions. The aspiration is that, in the future, Baby Groot will engage with park guests, the Imagineer shared. Machine learning, a subset of AI that empowers computers to learn without explicit programming, informs the vision systems of such robots, enabling them to recognise and navigate objects within their environment. The Imagineer highlighted the example of Project Kiwi, which harnessed machine-learning techniques to fashion a small, free-roaming robot embodying the movements and persona of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" character Baby Groot. This supporter perceives AI as a potential tool to mitigate the escalating costs associated with film and television production, which can skyrocket to $300 million for major releases such as "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" or "The Little Mermaid." Over time, savings could be substantial, the individual explained. One of the insiders, an internal advocate speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the subject, emphasised that traditional media companies like Disney must either embrace AI or face the risk of becoming obsolete.
One executive who has worked with Disney conveyed that "AI research at Disney has a long history and is centred around all the topics being discussed today: Can we develop something that aids us in creating movies, games, or conversational robots within theme parks for people to interact with?" A spokesperson for Disney chose not to comment on this matter.
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