#Bob Iger Says AI May Be “Most Powerful Technology That Our Company Has Ever Seen”

Disney CEO Bob Iger says generative artificial intelligence is an enormously powerful technology that the company is beginning to utilize, but he warned that it is also proceeding with caution to protect its trove of characters and stories, as well as its creatives and customers.

Iger was asked about the technology at Disney’s annual shareholder meeting Thursday, telling those in attendance that “AI may, in fact, be the most powerful technology that our company has ever seen, including its ability to enhance and enable consumers to access, experience and enjoy our entertainment.”

He added that the tech is “already enabling our company to be more efficient, and we’re only just beginning to deploy it for those purposes.”

However, he added notes of caution.

“Given the speed that it is developing, we’re taking precautions to make sure of three things: One, that our IP is being protected. That’s incredibly important,” Iger said. “Second, that our creators are being respected, and last, that our customers are being considered and valued, particularly as this technology emerges rapidly.”

Iger noted throughout the meeting that Disney has always embraced new technologies, and featured some of Disney Imagineering’s tech, like the BDX droids, in a prerecorded segment. AI will likely be technology that plays a role in the company’s future, in pursuit of those creative endeavors.

“We believe in the power and the value and the importance of human creativity, and we also appreciate from over 100 years of experience that technology is an invaluable tool for artists, whether they’re filmmakers or Imagineers,” Iger said.

Generative AI has become a hot button issue for Hollywood (and frankly most of corporate America), emerging as a focal point of the 2023 writers and actors strikes. In the entertainment business it has quickly gained steam in the postproduction and visual effects sectors, where new technologies have often been quickly adopted. Animation is another area where AI may disrupt the status quo, an area that Disney can trace back to its origins.