A major new feature piece in The Wall Street Journal has gone into Disney’s use of A.I. in its upcoming productions, including some big revelations about the tech’s potential use in two of the studio’s biggest films in the next year.
The studio is said to be taking a conservative approach with its adoption of AI in concern over both its potential legal exposure and damage to its storytelling legacy.
The report indicates at one time, Disney pitched an AI-generated sidekick character (named Bit) for Jeff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn character in “TRON: Ares”.
The idea was reportedly initially floated as a marketing idea and involved AI responding on screen, voiced by an actor. However, they scrapped it before any development progressed – citing bad publicity risks during union talks.
Disney also ‘cloned’ Dwayne Johnson for the upcoming live-action “Moana”. Specifically a small number of shots that Johnson was unable to do, they used Johnson’s similarly built cousin Tanoai Reed as a body double.
The studio would work with AI company Metaphysic to create deepfakes of Johnson’s face that could be layered on top of Reed’s performance in the footage.
Johnson approved it, but then things got caught up in a legal quagmire to the point that none of the footage will be in the final film when it’s released next summer.
Interviews with multiple employees and partners indicate the studio faces issues many other major corporations have over AI’s advance and concerns about how to use it. Head to The Wall Street Journal for the full piece.
