Months after its OpenAI deal fell through, Disney has found a new way to make use of AI.
The company’s Imagineering Research & Development unit is using Adobe’s Firefly Foundry, the commercial version of Adobe’s AI model designed to protect a brand’s intellectual property, to help Imagineers design and visualize elements of Disney’s upcoming parks and attractions. The Firefly models so far have been trained on franchises such as Frozen, Cars and Lilo & Stitch, and they’ve helped Disney Imagineers turn sketches into fully rendered 2D concept art along with turning 2D renderings into 3D prototype models, according to the companies.
“At Imagineering, we’ve always believed technology and human creativity can work together responsibly,” Kyle Laughlin, Walt Disney Imagineering’s senior vice president of R&D, technology and engineering, said in a statement. “Our work with Adobe lets us bring Disney stories and characters to life in our Parks faster, and with the emotional quality our guests expect.”
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“Storytelling is in Disney’s DNA. Empowering creators with the latest AI innovations is in ours,” Hannah Elsakr, Adobe’s vice president of GenAI New Business Ventures, added. “As the teams at Imagineering build new experiences for fans around the world, our tools and workflows will provide a creative foundation to explore bolder ideas and make the best ones a reality.”
The announcement comes as Disney has tried to figure out the best way to tap its stable of characters across its Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel and animation franchises for generative AI while protecting their use. The company nixed its planned $1 billion investment in OpenAI and its licensing deal for the OpenAI Sora model after OpenAI in March shut the Sora platform down. Meanwhile, Disney is still pursuing AI companies like Midjourney and MiniMax in court over copyright infringement.
Laughlin told Axios the Imagineering team was “eagerly sharing our insights” with the broader Disney company, signaling a continued fascination across the Mouse House.