Disney+ Users May Soon Be Able To Generate Short-Form AI Content
The use of Artificial Intelligence has taken the world by storm, and corporations are always on the lookout for opportunities to exploit new technology to make or save money.
During a recent investor call to discuss the latest financial results, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that they are working to incorporate more AI into Disney+.
Recently, the streaming service underwent a major overhaul as part of a technological upgrade, making the For You section of Disney+ more personalised. But that’s not the only place Disney wants to use AI, as Bob Iger revealed a plan for content created by AI.
The other thing that we’re really excited about that AI is going to give us the ability to do is to provide users of Disney Plus with a much more engaged experience, including the ability for them to create user-generated content and to consume user-generated content, mostly short form, from others. So a lot going on. We’re pleased that the progress that we’ve already made from a technology perspective.
Disney has always been very protective of its intellectual property and has already gone into many legal battles with AI companies over the use of its characters and franchises. But now it’s apparently looking into using this technology to create content within Disney+.
Iger was also asked about potentially licensing out its franchises to other AI companies, to which he replied:
We’ve been in some interesting conversations with some of the AI companies, and I would characterize some of them as quite productive conversations as well, seeking to not only protect the value of our IP and of our creative engines, but also to seek opportunities for us to use their technology to create more engagement with consumers. We feel encouraged by some of the discussions that we’re having. It’s obviously imperative for us to protect our IP using or with this new technology. We’ve been pretty engaged on that subject with a number of entities, and I’m hopeful that ultimately we’ll be able to reach some agreement, either the industry or the company on its own, with some of these entities that would, in fact, reflect our need to protect the IP.
There are obviously some advantages from Disney’s point of view, since AI could be used to create animated short videos using its popular characters, which will be cheaper than creating actual animated shorts like the company has done for over a decade. Iger also explained how the company is looking to take advantage of AI to save money.
We also, as we look ahead, see opportunities in terms of efficiency and effectiveness by deploying AI, not just in the production process, but really across our company as we engage with our cast members and our employees, but also our guests and our customers. There are opportunities, as Hugh talked about earlier, about what I’ll call the office and creating efficiency there. There are great opportunities in terms of our collection of data and our mining of data. I’d say, above all else, there’s phenomenal opportunities to deploy AI across our direct-to-consumer platforms, both to provide tools that make the platforms more dynamic and more sticky with consumers, but also to give consumers the opportunity to create on our platforms.
However, Disney will have to be very careful with this technology, as it can easily be exploited and will need strong guardrails to prevent people from creating unwanted, harmful content that doesn’t fit the Disney brand. It will also be interesting to see if audiences will be willing to watch AI-generated content over content created by the talented individuals at the studios.
Roger’s Take: While I can understand Disney testing out new technology and wanting to stay ahead of the curve, I do question the decision to talk about it here, as many people hate AI-generated content, especially if it takes jobs away from real creators. Plus, it’s a potential PR nightmare just waiting to happen, and more likely, is this just corporate speech to impress investors and boost the stock price with lots of AI buzzwords?
What do you think about Disney+ potentially including AI-generated content? Let me know o nsocial media!
