Disney—one of the world’s largest owners of intellectual property—is getting ready to unveil a “major AI initiative” that will focus primarily on post-production and VFX, according to TheWrap.
TheWrap on Thursday reported that, in addition to post and visual effects, the project will also involve parks and experiences, involving “hundreds” of Disney employees.
A source told the media outlet that they didn’t know when the initiative will be announced but added that it is not as expansive as other sources have reported.
The news comes a year and a half after Disney announced the creation of an “AI Task Force” to determine the best ways to implement AI in its production and corporate sectors. The task force was created around the time Disney announced it would lay off around 7,000 workers by the end of the 2023. In the interim, Hollywood endured writers and actors strikes that lasted throughout much of 2023 and were prompted, among other things, by concerns over the future use of AI in film and television.
As the owner of numerous sci-fi properties, the most notable being the “Star Wars” franchise, Disney has long been pushing AI and other tech advances, but announcing plans to incorporate a company-wide policy on the use of the technology in production is “significant,” according to TheWrap.
Observers speculate that Disney will announce a partnership for its AI initiative, much like another Hollywood studio, Lionsgate, which last month unveiled a partnership with Runway Partners to develop a new AI model “designed to help Lionsgate Studios, its filmmakers, directors and other creative talent augment their work.”
