Adrian JohnsonTLDR:
Disney is doubling down on AI technology despite industry fears. Amid strikes by writers and actors over concerns about AI replacing human jobs, Disney has announced five new companies joining its Disney Accelerator Program, with the majority focused on AI technology. The program aims to accelerate the growth of innovative companies from around the world, with a focus on AI in sound, voice development, autonomous vehicles, virtual world creation, and immersive entertainment.
Full Article:
The entertainment industry is facing uncertainty over the future of AI technology, but Disney is pushing forward with it nonetheless. In 2023, Hollywood was rocked by strikes by the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists over concerns about AI technologies replacing human writers and actors to cut costs.
Despite these industry tensions, Disney has announced the addition of five new companies to its Disney Accelerator Program, with a majority of them focused on AI technology. These companies include AudioShake, ElevenLabs, Nuro, PrometheanAI, and StatusPro, each bringing AI expertise to different aspects of entertainment production.
Notably, two of the companies in the program, AudioShake and ElevenLabs, concentrate on AI in sound and voice development. This raises concerns among voice actors about the increasing use of auto-generated dialogue in place of human actors, potentially leading to job loss and lower quality content.
Disney CEO Bob Iger has emphasized valuing creativity and its creators while the company accelerates the use of AI in various entertainment fields. The Disney Accelerator Program aims to harness technology to enhance storytelling while bringing Disney magic to fans worldwide. However, the focus on AI development may pose challenges to human creativity in the long run.
