Disney and Adobe sign deal for custom AI models

Adobe and The Walt Disney Company have signed a multi-year alliance to build generative AI models trained only on Disney’s own archives. This deal would give Disney’s parks, film studios and ESPN custom tools that produce content the company owns completely.

Models that learn from Disney only

The deal was announced at Adobe MAX, Adobe’s creativity conference. It involves Firefly Foundry, a platform that allows companies to build AI models using their own content. Disney’s models will only use material from its own library, and any content they create will remain private and belong to Disney.

A key part of the deal is that Disney’s AI models will use its own content for training. Adobe said this will help them create images and other content based on Disney’s characters, settings and visual styles that companies can safely use, FT.com reported.

The toolkit has three main features. It can create images in Disney’s style and turn rough sketches into finished images. It can also convert simple designs into 3D models that designers can edit and view from different angles.

Parks, studios and ESPN all in scope

The deal will affect several parts of Disney’s business. Its theme parks, resorts and cruise ships will use the AI models to speed up projects. Walt Disney Studios will use the tools for early design work through its StudioLAB team. ESPN will also use the technology to reach sports fans and make more of its archived content available.

Adobe (Nasdaq: ADBE) will become an official AI partner to Disney. The deal gives Disney early access to Adobe Firefly, Premiere and Photoshop, as well as support from Adobe’s engineers. Neither company has revealed the exact value of the deal.

Test project cut months of work to just days

The two companies have already tested the tools. They launched two AI models on June 16, 2026, through Walt Disney Imagineering, the team that designs Disney’s parks and attractions. One of these tools helped to turn sketches into images. The test project cut work that usually takes months to just a few days.

Kyle Laughlin, Disney’s senior vice president of technology, engineering and R&D, told Reuters that the tools have helped speed up creative work. Tasks that once took months can now be completed in hours or days, he stated. Laughlin added that the tools are not meant to replace Imagineering staff.

Why licensed data is the real story

The deal also shows how big companies want to use AI. Many popular image generators were trained on content taken from the internet, raising questions about ownership of the material and the images created. Disney plans to avoid these issues by training its AI models only on content it owns.

For Adobe, working with Disney shows that Firefly Foundry can help companies build AI models using their own content. For Disney, the main benefit is getting work done faster while keeping its familiar style.

There are still questions about how much Disney can do with the tools. Since the AI models are trained on Disney’s own content, they can only use material the company has already created. Using them across its studios, resorts and ESPN could also prove to be a bigger challenge.

The deal comes as Disney considers major cost cuts. Bloomberg News reported that the company was looking at cutting thousands of jobs and reducing its yearly spending by 20%.

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