Following a recent multibillion-dollar investment and licensing partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Disney is reportedly expanding its in-house artificial intelligence (AI) toolkit to provide employees with custom and commercial AI software to improve productivity. Business Insider's report, citing multiple Disney staffers, said the move is a shift in the company's technology strategy. Staffers claimed that as recently as this summer, the company appeared to be “hesitant to rely on AI tools.”“They have a clear understanding of where things are going,” one longtime Disney software engineer was quoted as saying.
Disney brings consumer and commercial AI tools to enterprises
The report noted that Disney has made several AI tools available to its employees.Commercial tools: Staff have access to platforms such as Microsoft Copilot and Amazon's Q Developer. The company also announced that its recent OpenAI deal will soon give employees access to the enterprise version of ChatGPT.Disney GPT: According to four staff members, there is an internal chatbot called DisneyGPT that helps with internal requests such as creating IT support tickets, analyzing project financials, and viewing company directories. The chatbot is said to incorporate the company's signature theme, greeting users with the message “Ready for a captivating adventure” and includes a verified collection of Walt Disney quotes tagged with themes such as “Imagination” and “Leadership.”
Disney preparing “Jarvis” agent AI
Disney is also said to be developing an advanced AI chatbot codenamed “Jarvis” after the personal assistant in the Iron Man series. This is said to be a more advanced system than DisneyGPT, an agent-based AI tool that can complete complex tasks on behalf of employees, the report said, citing sources who also said the Jarvis project is still in its early stages and “not fully ready.”
Threat of layoffs looms as Disney pushes forward with AI
As the company moves to adopt AI, the acceleration has caused friction among some employees, with three out of eight employees reportedly expressing concerns about AI potentially replacing humans or threatening job security.“Using AI everywhere will be counterproductive,” the staffer said, adding that AI can make mistakes, lacks the “personal touch” that humans provide, and tasks still require human creativity.
