Disney's $1 billion OpenAI deal isn't the only way the company is leveraging AI. In recent months, the Mouse House has been quietly adding new AI tools to its arsenal and encouraging its staff to use them.
“They clearly see where things are going,” said the longtime software engineer at Disney. This marked a change from this summer, when Disney seemed “hesitant to rely on AI tools,” they said.
Disney provided its employees with access to several AI tools, including Microsoft Copilot and Amazon's Q Developer. Thanks to the OpenAI deal with Disney, employees will also soon have access to the enterprise version of ChatGPT, the company said.
There's also a DisneyGPT chatbot that four staff members say can help with internal requests such as creating IT support tickets, viewing company directories, and analyzing project financials.
In an Oct. 2 email to staff, Disney introduced the beta version of the chatbot, describing it as a “new productivity partner” designed to “unleash the magic of imagination.” With the December update, employees can now upload Excel and PowerPoint files to the bot.
Disney has a chatbot called DisneyGPT that helps employees with their work and internal questions. business insider
According to the chatbot's December update log, DisneyGPT leverages Disney's signature theme and includes a prompt asking users “Are you ready for a captivating adventure?” and a “verified collection of Walt Disney quotes tagged with themes such as imagination, perseverance, and leadership.” Otherwise, employees said DisneyGPT is pretty much a standard AI chatbot.
According to four employees, an AI chatbot codenamed “Jarvis” is also in the works. JARVIS, named after Iron Man's personal assistant JARVIS, will be a more advanced agent-like AI tool than Disney's GPT, completing tasks on behalf of employees, said a senior staff member with direct knowledge of the company's AI efforts. The official said Jarvis is in the early stages and “not fully baked.”
Disney is working on an AI chatbot called Jarvis, named after Iron Man's suit-wearing assistant. Daniel Huang/SOPA Image/LightRocket, Getty Images
“It's definitely something they want to promote so that everyone can become more engaged,” a Disney manager said of AI.
Companies across all industries are racing to implement AI tools to improve productivity. But Disney is ahead of most people. The deal with OpenAI makes Disney the first major entertainment company to invest in the AI giant, allowing the company's popular characters to be used in its video generator Sora.
This reflects Disney's long tradition of combining innovation and entertainment, dating back to the days of its founder Walt.
Three of the eight Disney employees Business Insider spoke to expressed concerns about the use of AI, specifically saying it could replace humans and threaten their job security.
The executive with direct knowledge of Disney's AI strategy said AI is a “top priority,” but not a panacea. They said it can make mistakes and lacks the “individual touch” people provide.
“Using AI everywhere will be counterproductive,” the official said, adding that the task still requires human creativity.
A Disney spokesperson did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the company's AI efforts.
On Disney's internal website, which explains its AI policies and tools, the company said it takes a “responsible, human-centered approach to the use of AI.”
“This means that humans are, and will continue to be, the company's creative driving force,” Disney said on its website. “Fundamentally, we believe that human creativity and curiosity are immense and unique, and are at the heart of Disney.”
“At the same time, consistently adopting new technologies has become a critical part of empowering creators and maintaining leadership in creativity and innovation,” the company continued in its “Responsible Use of AI” section.
How Disney employees use and view AI
Seven out of eight Disney staffers interviewed by Business Insider had tried or regularly used DisneyGPT or Copilot, which are integrated into employee email accounts and documents. Many people use these AI tools for simple everyday tasks like composing emails.
Disney has a portal on its website that outlines its AI policy and lists Disney-approved AI tools. Two employees said the company is guiding employees through AI education and compliance training courses.
Some unapproved AI tools, like Anthropic's Claude, may be more effective than Disney-approved AI tools, three staffers said.
One employee at Disney-owned ESPN said his boss told him he could use an unapproved personal AI chatbot account for work.
“We're just using our personal accounts because Disney hasn't allowed us to use these tools yet,” the ESPN employee said.
A staffer with direct knowledge of Disney's AI efforts said leadership has sought to be “clear across the board” in communications about AI, but acknowledged that employees may “not understand the implications” of data security risks that can arise from the use of unapproved AI tools. Some staff members told Business Insider that navigating the availability and limitations of various AI tools was a challenge.
While some Disney employees expressed mixed feelings about AI, the more bullish ones said Disney was wise to sign the deal with OpenAI.
“This kind of partnership would at least establish a precedent for getting paid,” said an ESPN employee.
Disney advertising employees said they believe Disney's deal with OpenAI will “pay off” and “become massive” within five to 10 years, even if there are growing pains.
“Disney would be wise to be proactive about this,” the staffer said. “They set the rules of the game, or at least try to.”
