Disney Embraces AI: CEO Says Streaming Platform Will Be Packed With New Tech

Disney CEO Bob Iger says Disney+ is about to change in a big way. During Disney’s latest earnings call, Iger explained that the streaming service will soon roll out its biggest update since it launched in 2019. The major driver behind it: artificial intelligence.

Iger talked about the update while discussing Disney+’s ongoing integration with Hulu. He said the company wants the combined platform to act as a central hub for everything Disney, and that AI will help turn that idea into something much more interactive.

According to Iger, AI will let Disney+ serve as “an engagement engine for people who want to go to our theme parks, want to stay at our hotels, want to enjoy our cruises, our cruise ships.

And obviously, there’s a huge opportunity for games.” He also pointed out that the company sees “great opportunities in terms of our collection of data and our mining of data,” adding that AI could make the service more useful and more appealing.

A big part of this push comes from Disney’s recent $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games. Iger said most of the results from that partnership will show up on Epic’s own platform, but Disney plans to borrow some ideas by bringing “game-like features” to Disney+. He did not explain what those features might look like, though he hinted that simple games using Disney characters would be a natural fit.

Iger also highlighted new tools that will let subscribers make and share their own short-form content. He gave an example of someone creating their own version of Stitch, saying the company is excited about letting fans build and share personal creations on Disney+. He noted that Disney is still talking with outside companies to make this work and wants any agreements to “reflect our need to protect the IP.”

The company has not offered a launch date for these new features, but the comments make it clear that AI-based tools, games, and user-made content are now a priority for Disney’s streaming plans.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!