Introduction

Walt Disney has created a task force to study artificial intelligence and how it can be applied to the entertainment company’s business, while Hollywood actors object to the industry’s use of modern technology.

Three sources told Reuters that the group’s new venture, launched earlier this year ahead of the Hollywood workers’ strike, is looking to develop AI applications in-house as well as forming partnerships with new startups.

Disney has 11 current job openings looking for candidates with a background in artificial intelligence or machine learning.

AI Across the Company

The work is concentrated in almost every corner of the company, from the Walt Disney studios to the parks and the company’s engineering group, to the Walt Disney Imagineering team and Disney-branded television and advertising, which seeks to create the “next generation” of artificial intelligence. , Sponsored advertising system based on company job postings.

One source said legacy media companies like Disney should consider investing in artificial intelligence or they risk “disappearing.”

This proponent sees AI as a tool that can help control skyrocketing film and TV production costs, which could rise to $300 million for a blockbuster like Indiana Jones and the Clock Face. of “Fate” or “The Little Mermaid”. Such budgets require huge box office receipts just for companies to start turning a profit. Over time, according to this person, the process of cutting costs will pass.

For its theme park business, AI could enhance customer support or create new interactions, according to a second source.

The source pointed to Project Kiwi, which used machine learning techniques to create Baby Groot, a small, free-roaming robot that mimics the movements and characters from the Guardians movie. of Galaxy”.

Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence that empowers computers to learn without programming and informs their vision systems so they can recognize objects and navigate.