Josh D’Amaro Details Disney AI Plans for Walt Disney World and Beyond

Next-generation robotics designed to connect with guests emotionally, not just functionally. That’s what Disney’s R&D labs are working on, according to CEO Josh D’Amaro, who spent time on the Q3 fiscal 2026 earnings call explaining how AI is shaping the company.

The Disney AI plans span studios, streaming, advertising, ESPN, and — most relevant here — the parks.

Here’s what D’Amaro said, what’s actually in development for Walt Disney World, and how Disney got here.

Quick Summary

• Disney’s R&D labs are working on next-generation robotics that interact emotionally with guests
• Imagineering is using AI tools to design more ambitious park experiences, faster
• AI is being used to reduce the complexity of booking and planning a Disney vacation
• D’Amaro said the creative process stays human led
• Data unification across parks, streaming, studios, and consumer products is a top priority
• Nothing specific has been announced for Walt Disney World yet

The Questions That Prompted It

Two analysts pushed D’Amaro on the topic.

Sean Diffley from Morgan Stanley asked how AI is showing up in filmmaking and whether it saves money or just speeds things up.

Brian Kraft from Deutsche Bank asked where Disney has seen the biggest payoff from its broader technology investment so far.

AI in the Studios

D’Amaro said Disney uses AI across its studios and the rest of the company to work faster and support the creative process. He pointed to a production history that includes Industrial Light and Magic, Pixar, Disney Research Studios, and Walt Disney Imagineering.

On the studio side, AI is:

• Helping Disney get films to market faster
• Letting the studio release more titles in 3D
• Adding visual effects to shots that would have been too costly to do by hand
• Speeding up technical steps like rendering and denoising

D’Amaro was direct on one point:

“That creative process, by the way, will always be human centered. It’ll always be artist driven and creator led.”

On the streaming side, AI powers personalization and recommendations on Disney+. Disney’s ad and marketing teams are also testing AI-generated creative for ads.

At ESPN, AI supports fan engagement tools like Sports Center for You, new ad formats, and production tasks such as live captioning and highlight clipping.

AI and Tech at the Parks

D’Amaro said data unification is a top priority for him across the whole company. Disney is working to connect consumer data from parks, streaming, studios, and consumer products into one system, so it can serve fans better and understand them across every touchpoint.

For Walt Disney World fans, the most relevant part is the guest experience side.

Next-Generation Robotics

D’Amaro said Disney’s research and development labs are working on next-generation robotics designed to interact with guests in personal, emotional ways, not just functional ones.

That distinction is the interesting part. A functional robot moves through a space and performs a task. An emotional one reads and responds to the person in front of it.

Disney has been visibly building toward this. The BDX droids at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge are free-roaming robotic characters that respond to guests, and they’ve drawn enormous reaction precisely because they feel like characters rather than machines.

Imagineering and Design

D’Amaro said Imagineering is using AI tools to help design more ambitious park experiences, and to do it faster than before.

That’s a specific and plausible claim. Attraction design involves enormous iteration — sightline studies, ride path simulation, capacity modeling, show programming. Tools that compress iteration cycles let designers explore more options within the same schedule.

Trip Planning

On the planning side, D’Amaro said AI is being used to cut down on the complexity of booking and planning a Disney vacation, with the goal of tailoring the experience to what each guest wants.

This connects directly to something already visible: Walt Disney World’s AI Overview search feature moved to Cast Member testing on DisneyWorld.com, following a brief public appearance earlier in the year.

Nothing specific has been announced for Walt Disney World yet. But based on these comments, AI-assisted trip planning tools and new robotics at the parks both appear to be in active development.

How We Got Here

Today’s comments build on a strategy developing since 2023.

2023: The task force. Disney set up an internal task force in early 2023 to look at AI across the studios, theme parks, and advertising. The goal was to build AI and machine learning skills in-house and work with outside startups.

2023-2024: Early robotics tests. Disney Research and Walt Disney Imagineering began developing free-roaming robotic characters, including Star Wars BD-style droids trained to walk using Nvidia’s Isaac Sim platform and running on Nvidia Jetson computers. Disneyland guests got a look at an early playtest in Galaxy’s Edge.

The Honest Read

A few things worth holding in mind.

The trip planning application is the one with clearest guest value. Planning a Disney vacation is genuinely complicated — much of it by Disney’s own design — and tools that reduce that friction help people directly.

The robotics work is the most exciting and the furthest out. Emotionally responsive robotic characters are a hard technical problem, and R&D lab work does not translate to park installation on any predictable timeline.

“Data unification” deserves scrutiny. Connecting consumer data across parks, streaming, studios, and consumer products into one system is described here as serving fans better. It is also, unavoidably, building a considerably more detailed profile of each customer. Both framings are accurate.

D’Amaro’s human-centered creative commitment is worth holding him to. It’s the right statement. Whether it survives contact with cost pressure over several years is a fair thing to watch rather than assume.

The Bottom Line

Disney AI plans as outlined by Josh D’Amaro cover faster film production, Disney+ personalization, ESPN production tools, AI-generated ad creative, and — for parks — next-generation emotionally responsive robotics, AI-assisted Imagineering design, and simplified trip planning.

Data unification across all business segments is a stated top priority.

Nothing specific has been announced for Walt Disney World. Watch the AI Overview search tool on DisneyWorld.com, currently in Cast Member testing, as the first guest-facing piece to arrive.

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Meet the Author: Nate Bishop

I’m a die-hard Disney fan with 38 years of visits under my belt, having stepped into Disney World 120+ times. Proud to be a Disney Annual Passholder, a Vacation Club member since ’92, a Castaway Club Member, and a runDisney enthusiast. Oh, and I’ve graduated from the Disney College of Knowledge. Need Disney insights or planning tips? I’m your guy!