Disney has set up a new Office of Technology Enablement division under the leadership of 14-year veteran CTO Jamie Voris to manage how the media giant uses new tech such as AI and virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR).

Voris is tasked with making sense of these technologies and embracing them in ways that “enable our people, creativity and business,” said Disney Entertainment chairman Alan Bergman in an internal memo on Friday. 

The new division will oversee how AI and VR/AR tools and applications are developed and deployed across the company, including Disney Entertainment, ESPN and Disney’s theme parks. OTE won’t take over any existing projects and research, but it will make sure there’s a standard approach. and that the use of these new technologies aligns with Disney’s values, Bergman said. 

Eddie Drake, Marvel Studios’ head of technology, is taking over for Voris as CTO at Walt Disney Studios. 

There are a lot of potential uses for AI in animation production pipelines, including lip-syncing automation, in-betweening, rigging, background resolution maximization, mocap and predictive budgeting and scheduling. TeamTO in Paris was able to cut its production time by 10% to 15% thanks to AI, according to CEO Guillaume Hellouin. 

Most animation studios have started to use generative AI to develop CG and 2D art and assets, according to The Animation Guild. But animation creatives are fearful that the technology could threaten human jobs, especially entry-level positions tasked with the kind of work that AI could potentially replace, according to the union.