New Disney Job Listing For AI Developer To “Fundamentally Change How Imagineering Creates”

Disney is continuing to explore new AI tools as part of a broader effort to evolve how Walt Disney Imagineering designs attractions and experiences.  However, the focus remains on supporting creative teams, not replacing them.

New CEO Josh D’Amaro has made it clear that he wants to integrate AI as a tool to assist human Imagineers and animators, but not replace them.

At the last annual shareholders meeting, he said,

“But of course, you know, not surprisingly, we’re approaching this very thoughtfully. At Disney, creativity is always led by people that will always be the case. Our goal with AI is to empower human creativity and not replace it. We want to give artists and filmmakers and designers better tools so that they can focus on what they do best.”

Now we are starting to see the beginnings of this as a new job listing for an Executive of AI Platform Engineering.

It seems Disney wants to develop an AI-first platform for improving how Imagineers collaborate, test ideas, and bring complex projects to life.

The initiative is part of a wider push across the company to integrate emerging technologies into storytelling and design workflows to streamline production and save time and money.

AI as a Creative Assist Tool

The new technology is reportedly intended to streamline development and enhance creative output, allowing Imagineers to iterate more quickly on ideas that would traditionally take longer to design and prototype.

This would be used at WDI (Walt Disney Engineering) for attractions and experiences. Newly developed AI tools could help teams simulate environments, test concepts, and refine details before anything is physically constructed. Saving time and money.

WDI is already using AI to help create robotic characters like the new Olaf at Disneyland Paris.

So far, it does seem that CEO Josh D’Amaro is sticking to the ideals of AI as a tool and not a human replacement.  Hopefully, they continue to do that.

Two Mandates

The job listing focuses on “two critical mandates.”

“First, you will architect and deliver the AI platform that transforms Imagineering’s design and delivery workflows—bringing modern AI capabilities directly into the hands of Imagineers. Second, you will lead the adoption of AI-powered developer infrastructure across WDI’s software teams, radically improving engineering velocity and quality.”

The successful candidate will “inherit an existing engineering team” but is expected to create “new capabilities,” and partner “closely with Disney Research and Advanced Development to bridge cutting-edge research with production-ready systems.”

Here are the listed Position Responsibilities:

• Define and execute the vision and roadmap for WDI’s AI-first software platform, transforming how Imagineers design and deliver experiences
• Lead the implementation of AI-powered developer tools and infrastructure across WDI software teams
• Translate emerging AI capabilities into production-ready platform features that accelerate creative and engineering workflows
• Establish standards and best practices for AI-assisted development, improving engineering velocity and code quality
• Evaluate and integrate AI coding assistants, automated testing, and intelligent CI/CD capabilities
• Drive investment strategy and resource planning for AI platform initiatives
• Inherit and grow a high-performing engineering organization, recruiting top talent to expand platform capabilities
• Foster a culture of innovation, technical excellence, and rapid iteration
• Partner closely with Disney Research and Advanced Development to transition cutting-edge research into production systems
• Collaborate with Product Management to align platform capabilities with Imagineering priorities and user needs
• Engage with software development groups across WDI to drive adoption and gather feedback on AI infrastructure initiatives
• Build relationships with external technology partners and vendors to accelerate platform development

Position Requirements ask that the candidate have at least 10 years in software/platform development with a proven record of AI/ML building and scaling. They also want management and leadership experience along with technical AI/ML system knowledge, cloud platform, and modern software experience.

Disney prefers experience in media or creative tech with a Master’s degree in Computer Science, but only a Bachelor’s degree is required.

The salary range listed is $228,700 to $306,700, but potential bonuses are offered. That is low for someone with the experience they want.

Here is the job listing. 

What do you think? Comment and let us know!

Hat tip: Blog Mickey