Disney CEO Bob Iger wants the entertainment industry and the company to reach an agreement with artificial intelligence (AI) companies to protect its intellectual property. But he acknowledged the technology has potential benefits for streaming giants. Iger spoke during Disney’s fourth-quarter earnings conference about the company’s dual approach to AI. The idea is to leverage its ability to enhance Disney+ and increase production efficiency, while remaining vigilant in protecting treasured series like Star Wars and The Simpsons from unauthorized use. he said: “Ultimately, we hope that we can reach some kind of agreement with some parties that actually reflects the need to protect intellectual property, either by industry or by companies alone.”The comments come as Disney pursues legal action against the AI company Midjourney, which it accused in June of creating unauthorized copies of its content. The lawsuit, filed jointly with NBCUniversal, is still ongoing, and Midjourney denies the allegations. Business Insider reported that Iger did not name the specific AI companies Disney is partnering with, but he previously said Fable Studios, a startup that provides an AI streaming platform that allows users to interact with existing IP, was in talks with the media giant.
How Disney plans new customer experiences with AI
Iger also said during the company’s earnings call that the company is interested in leveraging AI to make the Disney+ app more engaging, including tools that allow users to create short-form content. AI will look like this “We will provide Disney+ users with a more engaging experience, including the ability to create user-generated content and consume content created by other users, primarily in short-form format.” Iger said this during a question-and-answer session on a conference call.He added that following the company’s investment in Epic Games last year, Disney+ will increasingly help promote the company’s theme parks and games. These comments show that Disney, like other studios, is exploring new ways for audiences to interact with its platforms and brands as support for user-generated content and independent creators grows.
