New Disney setup to lead the integration of AI and mixed reality
Walt Disney has made a new business unit whose job it is to coordinate how the company uses new technologies like mixed reality and artificial intelligence (AI). Disney will be able to look into how these new technologies can improve experiences in its movie, TV, and theme park businesses thanks to this smart move.
Disney’s tech projects will be run by the new Office of Technology Enablement, which is led by Jamie Voris. Voris was recently in charge of making an app for Apple’s Vision Pro mixed reality gadget. Alan Bergman, Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment, said that the fast growth of AI and augmented reality (AR) will have long-lasting effects on how customers feel the company, how creative they are, and how well the business does overall. Bergman said that Disney’s new technology-focused unit shows that the company is ready to take advantage of possibilities while carefully controlling risks.
Bergman made it clear that this new office will not centralise current technology projects. Instead, it will make sure that they fit in with Disney’s overall plan. Over the past few years, Disney has been learning more about mixed reality, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR). These technologies make new experiences possible: AR adds digital features to the real world, VR makes virtual worlds that feel real, and mixed reality blends the two.
Kyle Laughlin has been brought back to Disney as Senior Vice President of Research and Development for Walt Disney Imagineering. This makes the company stronger. Laughlin, who used to work for Disney and has experience with AR, VR, and AI, came back to the company in March after running Amazon’s Alexa Gadgets business. The creative team behind Disney’s theme park rides, Walt Disney Imagineering, will likely play a big part in making next-generation interactive experiences.
While companies like Meta and Snap have made AR glasses that are lighter and more stylish, Disney is quietly putting together a team to use these technologies. The goal of this project is to bring new experiences to Disney’s theme parks and to people’s homes.
The market research company IDC says that tech companies have sold around 1.7 million AR and VR gadgets so far this year. With a 60.5% share of the market, Meta is still in first place, but Sony, Apple, and ByteDance are becoming stronger competitors. Disney’s focus on AI and mixed reality puts it at the centre of this quickly changing technology world. This sets the stage for experiences that will change the way people live their lives.
