Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden on Thursday detailed Disney's $1 billion bet on OpenAI and revealed how the studio intends to protect its beloved characters and the creatives behind them.
“When it comes to our premium stories and how we think about AI to bend the cost curve or make us faster and more efficient, we're working on all of that with our partners, actors, writers and directors, who have very strong feelings about what a uniquely human story is and how to protect our contributors along the way,” Walden told journalist Emily Chan on Bloomberg Media's “The Circuit with Emily Chan.”
When asked if Disney's magic would maintain its legitimacy if it were created by artificial intelligence, Walden argued, “Disney's magic is storytelling, and it doesn't have to be in a single format. So I think the basis of the story is Disney.” “This technology has evolved rapidly throughout the company's history.”
Disney's investment in the technology company will bring a variety of its characters to its generative video platform, Sora, in a landmark deal that brings together one of the premier entertainment companies and an industry leader in generative AI.
The three-year agreement will provide Sora users with over 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars characters to create short videos for social media starting in early 2026. These characters will also be available on ChatGPT's image generation platform, and will include everyone from Mickey Mouse to Iron Man to Elsa, although they will not be the talent playing or voicing the characters.
The two also discussed other Disney-related issues, including ABC suspending Jimmy Kimmel in September over his comments about Charlie Kirk shooter Tyler Robinson's ties to the Republican Party.
Walden said the studio paused Kimmel's show in preparation for a discussion with the late-night host.
“When we made the decision right before his show resumed on Wednesday, there was only one thing we had in mind: the situation was very heated,” she explained. “We wanted to lower the temperature. We didn't think that was possible that night, so we pressed pause and had a conversation with Jimmy. We wanted to resolve the situation in a way to protect our employees and think about our viewers.”
“Did President Trump call you or did you Bob?” [Iger] Or is it the other way around? Was there any pressure from the White House? ” So Chan asked. “He didn't do that. We didn't hear from them,” Walden responded, adding that the issue “is behind us.”
Walden also touched on conversations surrounding her becoming Disney's next CEO.
“We have an incredible relationship, so I don't appreciate being at odds with my colleagues,” she said. “We are a very tight-knit organization, but I have tremendous confidence in where this company is going. We have a world-class team at this company that is on the path to the future.”
