Disney+ to Be Packed With AI Features as Iger Calls Tech an ‘Engagement Engine’

Disney is planning a major shift for Disney+, and CEO Bob Iger made it clear that AI will play a big part in it. During Disney’s quarterly earnings call, which was reported by Variety, Iger said the streaming service is about to see the biggest product update since it first launched in 2019.

According to Iger, the changes are connected to the ongoing merge of Disney+ and Hulu. He said Disney wants the platform to feel like a full gateway to the company’s many brands and experiences.

With AI, he believes this will be possible. Iger explained that Disney+ could eventually support games, tools, and even creative features that turn viewers into creators.

Iger described Disney+ as something that should be “a portal to all things Disney,” adding that “with the deployment of AI” the service can act “as an engagement engine for people who want to go to our theme parks, want to stay at our hotels, want to enjoy our cruises, our cruise ships. And obviously, there’s a huge opportunity for games.”

He also talked about data, saying there are “great opportunities in terms of our collection of data and our mining of data,” before adding that AI will help make Disney’s digital platforms more interactive and help fans create their own content.

Part of this push ties back to Disney’s $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games. Iger said most of that work will appear on Epic’s platform, such as the Epic Games Store. Even so, the partnership gives Disney the chance to pull in what he called “game-like features” for Disney+. He did not go into detail about what those would be, but he did hint at simple games built around Disney characters.

Iger also talked about user-made content. He said AI will allow subscribers to make short videos or custom creations inside Disney+, using familiar characters. He gave an example of someone making their own version of Stitch. He did not name any tech companies Disney might be working with on these features, but said he hopes any deals will “reflect our need to protect the IP.”

Disney did not announce when these features will appear, but Iger’s comments show that AI-powered tools and creativity options are becoming a major priority for the company’s streaming future.

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