Just days after Disney’s billion-dollar deal with OpenAI fell apart, Walt Disney Imagineering has posted a new job opening for an executive to create an AI-first platform that will “fundamentally change how Imagineering creates”. Disney’s interest in using Artificial Intelligence within the creative branch of its theme park division isn’t necessarily new, but this is the furthest that we’ve seen Disney show an interest in using AI technology. Here’s the latest.
Walt Disney Imagineering Creating AI Platform to Fundamentally Change How It Creates
In a new job listing posted Thursday, Walt Disney Imagineering is seeking an Executive of AI Platform Engineering. The Executive, AI Platform Engineering, would lead a transformative initiative to “[build] the AI-first platform that will fundamentally change how Imagineering creates”.
Before we dive more into the specifics of this role, it’s worth mentioning that we believe we’re going to see a lot of tech-forward moves from new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro. In his day-one memo to employees, D’Amaro listed “embracing technology to unlock new possibilities” as one of the three priorities that will guide the company.
…we will embrace technology to unlock new possibilities. Innovation has always been part of Disney’s DNA. Used thoughtfully, it can empower our storytellers, strengthen our capabilities, and help us create more immersive, interactive, and personal ways for people to experience Disney.
Furthermore, D’Amaro briefly addressed the ever-evolving technology landscape in his debut performance during the recent Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
Underpinning all of this, is technology. We’ve never shied away from the latest innovations, and in many cases, we’re the ones pushing the envelope because we know that technology acts as an amplifier for our stories, for our experiences, and the emotional connection that audiences have with our brand…
…we’ll continue to develop and embrace new technologies to empower our storytellers, but never at the expense of our characters and worlds, our creative partners, or the trust people place in us. Because Disney, at its core, is a company that celebrates human creativity.
Beyond what D’Amaro has said publicly since landing the CEO job, it has been reported that his embrace of technology was one of the determining factors for his ascension to the top spot. In short, I think this new Executive role to develop an AI-first platform for Walt Disney Imagineering is just the tip of the iceberg under D’Amaro.
Within the role, there would be two mandates. First, the Executive would “architect and deliver the AI platform that transforms Imagineering’s design and delivery workflows”. This would “[bring] modern AI capabilities directly into the hands of Imagineers”.
Second, the Executive, AI Platform Engineering, would be tasked with “[leading] the adoption of AI-powered developer infrastructure across WDI’s software teams”. The end result of that would be “radically improving engineering velocity and quality”.
The new role would inherit an existing engineering team while building out new capabilities. The new role would partner closely with Disney Research and Advanced Development to bridge cutting-edge research with production-ready systems.
Some responsibilities of the role include:
- 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
- Partner closely with Disney Research and Advanced Development to transition cutting-edge research into production systems
- Engage with software development groups across WDI to drive adoption and gather feedback on AI infrastructure initiatives
The role would be based out of Imagineering’s Glendale campus, and the salary is listed between $230,000 and $307,000 per year.
While Disney has already rolled out a beta version of DisneyGPT internally last year. This new AI-first platform would fall under the umbrella of Walt Disney Imagineering – something completely different than even the J.A.R.V.I.S. agentic tool that was under development earlier this year.
While this type of tool wouldn’t be something that is guest-facing, there are some guest-facing AI tools in the works at Disney. More on that later.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!