Disney has spent the better part of a century building one of the strongest and most defensible brands in the world. Their characters are carefully managed intellectual property assets that generate billions in revenue through films, merchandise, parks and licensed partnerships. So when Disney announced a $1 billion dollar strategic investment in OpenAI, along with new capabilities that allow users to generate videos featuring Disney characters through Sora, my first reaction was not excitement. It was concern.
And this is coming from someone who spends every day advocating for responsible, strategic uses of AI. I believe AI can drive tremendous value when applied with intention and high standards. This decision, however, feels like an unnecessary gamble with a brand that historically succeeds by controlling its creative ecosystem, not opening it up to public experimentation.
The guardrails will break
The announcement promises guardrails. It promises careful curation. It promises safe, controlled usage of beloved characters. Anyone who has worked with generative AI tools knows how quickly those promises break down in real-world conditions. Users test boundaries immediately. They find exploits. They jailbreak models. And because all of this happens at scale, it only takes hours for questionable content to circulate.
Disney may believe they negotiated ironclad protections, but in practice, it is extraordinarily difficult to maintain quality, tone and brand integrity once generative video content is democratized. (Anyone remember the AI generated content of Sam Altman grilling and eating Pikachu?)
The “Curated Sora Videos on Disney+” decision is even more concerning
The part of the announcement that stood out to me most was this line: People will be able to watch “curated selections of Sora-generated videos on Disney+.”
Disney+ is supposed to be a safe, premium environment. It is a place where I can let my kid watch content without worrying about low-quality noise or questionable derivatives slipping into the mix.
Introducing AI-generated videos as part of the platform, even in a curated form, lowers that bar. This is not Pixar. This is not Imagineering. This is not a masterfully crafted piece of storytelling. This is a floodgate to content that, by definition, can be created quickly, cheaply and without the same artistic oversight that built Disney’s legacy.
We don’t need more AI slop mixed into high-value brands, and we especially don’t need it creeping into the content ecosystems meant for children.
Strategic AI adoption requires standards, not trends
AI is transforming marketing, entertainment and operations. I am fully bought-in on what AI can do for productivity, personalization, insight generation and creative exploration. But there is a clear difference between applying AI to enhance the creative pipeline and outsourcing creative identity to a tool that the company does not control.
If Disney wanted to explore how AI could augment animation workflows, that would make sense (and I’m sure they’re doing that internally). If they wanted to create internal tools to accelerate production, that would be strategic (again, highly likely that this is happening). If they wanted to use AI to support Imagineering or drive new theme park experiences, that could be exciting (I’m less versed on the theme parks but, probably already being done).
Instead, they invested a billion dollars to let the public generate branded character content. That feels less like innovation and more like chasing a trend.
Decision weakens Disney’s differentiation
Disney’s true competitive advantage is the quality of its storytelling and the intentionality behind every piece of content. Opening the door to AI-generated character videos, even under the guise of careful curation, dilutes the equity they spent decades building.
It blurs the line between what is Disney and what is an approximation of Disney (unless the new approximation is acceptable to them, in which case, no thank you). It introduces creative noise into an ecosystem that historically thrives on precision and craftsmanship.
And for families who rely on Disney+ as a curated environment, it adds risk at a time when trust in digital platforms is already eroding.
The long-term outcome
I believe Disney will eventually regret this move. Not because AI is bad, but because this application of AI conflicts directly with Disney’s strengths. They are trading creative integrity for experimentation that does not solve a core business problem and exposes them to unnecessary brand and safety challenges.
Innovation is critical. AI is critical. But innovation without discipline is not leadership. It’s distraction. Disney should be leading with intentional, purpose-driven applications of AI that elevate their storytelling rather than outsourcing pieces of their brand to the public and calling it progress (and they undoubtedly are in other areas).
This isn’t progress. It’s dilution. And I think the consequences will show up faster than they expect.
Colin Bish is the Director of Marketing Services at Brasco ///, where he focuses on responsible AI adoption and meaningful digital strategy.