Disney CEO Bob Iger Says AI Can Help Tell Better Stories. Disney Creativity Is Doomed.

Disney CEO Bob Iger is an investor and a board member of Canva. He was the keynote speaker for the recent Canva Create showcase at the SoFi Stadium. During his talk, he discussed how great Canva’s generative AI tools were and how Disney is going all in on them.

There goes a bunch of jobs and even more creativity. Disney can’t afford to lose any more creativity but Iger is going all in.

Of course, he starts by invoking company founder Walt Disney. Using him will make it seem more okay. He said:

“Walt Disney himself was a big believer in using technology in the early days to tell better stories. And he thought that technology in the hands of a great storyteller was unbelievably powerful.”

Iger continued by telling people not to focus on how “disruptive” it is. You mean jobs Bob? That’s what people are worried about – disrupting jobs.

He said,

“Don’t fixate on its ability to be disruptive — fixate on [tech’s] ability to make us better and tell better stories. Not only better stories but to reach more people.”

Here’s the problem. Disney has been using “data” to try to target people for spending. They tried this formulaic approach with “Wish,” and it did not work. Disney needs the human touch and creativity now more than ever, and they are going to use AI to tell better stories and study you more to try to make sure you give them more money.

Since it’s never going away, you need to embrace it (and the cost savings for the Walt Disney Company as they replace actual humans.)

“You’re never going to get in the way of it. There isn’t a generation of human beings that has ever been able to stand the way of technological advancement. What we try to do is embrace the change that technology has created, and use it as the wind behind our backs instead of wind in our faces.”

While I agree that it is inevitable. So was Thanos.

It’s all about how you use AI.

If it’s used to streamline and assist but not replace, that is okay, but Disney is trying to maximize profits. I doubt they will keep everyone when they can replace them with AI.

Iger, who has a personal and financial interest in Canva and AI, also added that “values” don’t change because of AI. True, they change based on the person wielding them. Disney’s “values” have already drastically changed under Bob Iger, so what could possibly go wrong?

“There’s this belief sometimes that adjusting your values is necessary to adjust to the world that has changed. Think about what Canva is today and the business you have today because of the values that were imbued in the brand and the company culture years ago. That value creation should be ongoing. Abandoning those core values that got you where you are is what, in my opinion, results in the extinction of brands and companies.”

Ironically, Disney is currently flailing, and its stock keeps dropping. Streaming has gotten them into trouble, and the box office has suffered financial loss after financial loss. Maybe if they simply went back to being creative and being “Disney” instead of trying to push narrative, agenda, and boring films/shows, they could be more successful.

Who knows. Maybe AI can finally make Disney interesting again. But when AI can be more creative and successful than Disney, why even have a Walt Disney Company?

What do you think? Comment and let us know!

Source: Variety