During Disney’s latest earnings call, CEO Bob Iger talked about next steps for its streaming service Disney+, saying the entertainment giant has been having “productive conversations” with potential AI partners. According to hollywood reporterDisney+ could soon host short-form, user-generated AI videos.
“The other thing that we’re really looking forward to is what AI will allow us to do, and that is give Disney+ users a more engaging experience, including the ability to create user-generated content and consume content (primarily short-form) generated by other users,” Iger said. He did not say which companies Disney is in talks with, nor did he provide a specific timeline for introducing Gen-AI capabilities.
There are already plenty of ways to create and share AI slop videos, so this isn’t a new concept he’s promoting. But this is a surprising direction for Disney, which has long been hawkish in protecting both its image and intellectual property. The company has already taken legal action against several different AI platforms, including: Character.AI and copyright infringement lawsuits against Midjourney and Hailuo. Iger said he expects any partnership would “reflect the need to protect intellectual property” and would almost certainly be a win-win for Disney. But it’s still quite a turnaround that the company is now encouraging Gen-AI creation of familiar characters, even within the confines of its own platform.
