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The Walt Disney Company and Adobe have entered a multi-year partnership to develop custom generative artificial intelligence models for Disney's entertainment, theme park and sports businesses. The collaboration aims to speed up creative projects, improve production workflows and create new ways to engage audiences.
Announced on November 9, the agreement will use Adobe's Firefly Foundry platform to build private AI models tailored to Disney's intellectual property. The models will be trained on Disney's characters, environments, and visual styles to produce content suited to the company's creative requirements.
The initial projects will focus on Disney Experiences, including its theme parks, resorts, and cruise operations. Adobe will also support StudioLAB, the innovation hub within Walt Disney Studios, as the companies explore ways to bring AI into creative development.
Walt Disney Imagineering has already started using custom AI tools developed through its work with Adobe. One model generates images based on text prompts, while another converts hand-drawn sketches into fully rendered concept artwork.
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Disney executives believe these tools could significantly shorten the time required to develop new attractions and experiences. Kyle Laughlin, senior vice president of research and development technology and engineering at Disney, said processes that previously took months could now be completed in hours or days.
The faster workflow also allows designers to test multiple ideas before construction begins, potentially reducing expensive changes during development. Laughlin said the technology is intended to support creative teams and is not designed to replace Imagineering jobs.
The partnership will extend beyond theme parks and film production. Adobe and Disney will explore AI applications at ESPN to improve sports fan engagement and make more content from the broadcaster's archive accessible to audiences.
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The deal builds on an existing relationship between the companies, with Adobe providing early access to its creative and media technologies.
The announcement comes as Disney reportedly considers thousands of job cuts and has asked some managers to pursue annual cost savings. However, the companies have presented the AI partnership primarily as a way to accelerate creative work and expand production capabilities.