Walt Disney forms a new team to coordinate use of AI, AR and mixed reality

Walt Disney is forming a new group to coordinate company's use of emerging techlogies such as artificial intelligence and mixed reality, as media giant explores applications across its film, television and me park divisions.

newly formed Office of Techlogy Enablement will be led by Jamie Voris, film studio's chief techlogy officer who spearheaded development of Disney's app for Apple Vision Pro mixed reality device, an email seen on Friday by Reuters showed. Eddie Drake will succeed Voris as studio's CTO.

" pace and scope of advances in AI and XR (extended reality) are profound and will continue to impact consumer experiences, creative endeavors and our businesses for years to come - making it critical that Disney explore exciting opportunities and navigate potential risks," Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman wrote.

" creation of this group underscores our dedication to doing that."

Bergman ted unit will focus on fast-moving areas of techlogy, such as AI and mixed reality, which blends physical and digital worlds. It will t centralize work on se projects, but rar, ensure various projects around company fit with its broader strategy.

Voris will report to Bergman. Office of Techlogy Enablement, which launches with a core leadership team, is expected to grow to about 100 employees, a person familiar with matter said.

Reuters first reported Disney had formed a task force to study artificial intelligence and how it could be applied across entertainment conglomerate.

Various divisions within Disney are exploring applications for augmented reality, which places digital elements into real world; virtual reality, which immerses user in a simulated environment; and mixed reality, which combines both.

Disney has been building expertise across organization to capitalize on emerging techlogy.

For example, Kyle Laughlin, a Disney veteran with a background in augmented and virtual reality and AI, returned to company in March as senior vice president of research and development for Walt Disney Imagineering, creative force behind Disney's me park attractions. He briefly left Disney in 2019 to lead Amazon 's Alexa Gadgets division.

As Meta and Snap unveiled a new generation of lightweight glasses that provide consumers a fashionable alternative to bulky VR goggles, Disney has been quietly assembling a team focused on how best to harness techlogy to bring new experiences to company's me parks and consumers' homes, seven sources told Reuters.

Tech companies have sold about 1.7 million AR/VR headsets so far this year, data from market research firm IDC showed. Meta is still clear market leader, with a 60.5% market share, but is starting to face pressure in from competitors like Sony, Apple and ByteDance.

Google also has been signaling this year that it may return to AR/VR market.