Credit: NBCUniversal (left), Disney (right)For decades, the Walt Disney Company and Universal have been rivals. However, the two studios seem to have finally found some common ground – edging real-life humans out of their jobs.
The debate on artificial intelligence (AI) in the film industry is hot right now. Part of why both writers and actors are currently on strike is growing unrest about the possibility that AI may be used to replace the services of creative talents.
Now, it seems like they may have even more reason to be cautious. Bloomberg Law has reported that both the Walt Disney Company and NBCUniversal are currently paying lobbyists to watch over legislation that would eventually prevent them from accessing a “lucrative state tax break” if artificial intelligence replaced workers in both film and TV productions.
Both Disney and Universal reportedly started paying lobbyists – professional individuals who work to influence the political decisions on behalf of paying individuals and organizations – to monitor the potential New York bill, S.B. 7422, in June. Bloomberg Law made the discovery via disclosures filed with the state Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government.
The goal of the bill is to protect the “dignity” of those currently anxious that AI could take their jobs. Multiple major studios have recently made moves to expand their AI horizons, including Disney, which is currently advertising for an AI position in Imagineering paying $180,000 per year. Meanwhile, Netflix is apparently hiring an AI Product Manager with a listed salary of over $900,000 per year.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said in an earnings call in May that he is currently “bullish” about AI. However, he also acknowledged that it may become a larger issue in the future from a legal standpoint.
For now, the bill is restricted to New York. However, it’s thought that it could become a model for other states to introduce similar bills. If it hit California, where the majority of studios are based, then it could potentially cost the likes of Disney, NBCUniversal, and other big studios millions of dollars in the future.
Assemblyman Demond Meeks, who sponsored the bill, told Bloomberg Law that he was unsurprised by the revelation that Disney and NBCUniversal are lobbying the bill. “Big business tends to look for quick ways to save money,” he said, “and, you know, this may be another means of that.”
The Walt Disney Company has since downplayed their use of a lobbyist, with a Disney spokesperson stating that “As is standard, we track, monitor and review any bills introduced that could potentially impact our business, and in compliance with New York State law, we transparently report those information-gathering efforts in our lobbying disclosures.”
Disney fans have long been critical of the incorporation of AI into Disney content. Marvel’s latest Disney+ series, Secret Invasion, received heavy backlash for its AI-generated opening credits. There have also been fears that Disney will increasingly turn to AI to age – or de-age – actors as seen with Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) rather than offering the roles to working actors.
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