Disney names Adobe an “Official AI Innovation Partner” and will work with it on generative AI models tailored to Disney's properties

At its MAX conference on 9 November, Adobe announced a multi-year strategic alliance with The Walt Disney Company, under which Adobe becomes an “Official AI Innovation Partner of The Walt Disney Company”.

Adobe's release says “Disney will work directly with Adobe on generative AI models tailored to Disney's properties” through Firefly Foundry, trained on character attributes, environments and visual styles. Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development is already using Firefly Foundry for a sketch-to-image model that turns hand-drawn concepts into 2D concept art, and for a custom image model for on-brand assets, the release says.

Adobe will give Disney early access to Firefly, Firefly Foundry, Premiere and Photoshop, with dedicated engineering and research staff, and the two will explore AI for fan engagement and for ESPN's archive. Adobe also joins Disney's StudioLAB as an innovation partner, the release says. The release names no franchises and gives no financial terms.

For Adobe, the deal puts its Firefly Foundry service, which builds custom models on a customer's own material, inside one of the largest owners of characters and film libraries. The Switchboard ran Bloomberg's report that Epic Games told staff to take an AI-first approach, with its Disney game delayed, on 19 October.

• Confirmed Adobe and The Walt Disney Company announced a multi-year strategic alliance; no financial terms were disclosed. Adobe
• Claimed Disney will work directly with Adobe on generative AI models tailored to Disney's properties, through Firefly Foundry. Adobe
• Claimed Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development is already using Adobe Firefly Foundry, including a sketch-to-image model for 2D concept art. Adobe