Disney, Netflix go on AI hiring sprees as strikes drag on

Help wanted.

As the Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strikes drag on — and with the use of AI being a major point of contention in negotiations — major entertainment companies appear to be hiring for jobs in the artificial intelligence field.

The Hollywood Reporter searched through job listings and found a number of open positions related to AI.

Disney has around a half-dozen job postings “focused on AI and machine learning,” according to a review by the publication. These job offerings follow the company recently laying off thousands of employees.

Some positions are with Disney’s “Imagineering” team, the group responsible for creating attractions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

One Imagineer role calls for someone with “ambition to push the limits of what AI tools can create and understand the difference between the voice of data and the voice of a designer, writer or artist.” The hire will “collaborate with third party studios, universities, organizations, and developers to evaluate, adopt, and integrate the latest generative AI.”

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The Hollywood Reporter found that the individual who fits the bill is promised “a base salary of up to $180,000 per year, with the possibility of bonuses or other compensation as well.”

The outlet also noted other intriguing opportunities at Disney: “Another role, for a machine learning engineer in the Disney Streaming Advanced Research division (it’s ‘responsible for creating AI-enabled solutions for Disney+, Star+, and ESPN+,’ per the listing) will use AI to ‘work on advanced personalization efforts involving digital avatars.'”

Meanwhile, the Intercept recently called out Netflix for posting an AI product manager position that will pay up to $900,000.

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“Our business is driven by Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence, which fuels innovation in content creation and acquisition, personalization, payment processing, and other revenue-centric initiatives,” the streaming company specified in the listing.

Netflix also has several other job openings in the same field.

The demand isn’t limited to content production and research.

Amazon and Apple are offering numerous AI and ML jobs focused on their media businesses.

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In a listing for a Prime Video senior project manager, Amazon asked, “Want to define the next big thing in localizing content, enhancing content, or making it accessible using state-of-the-art Generative AI and Computer Vision tech? This is for you!”

The position pays up to $300,000, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Sony is looking for an AI “ethics” engineer.

“We believe in researching and developing AI techniques that empower the imagination and creativity of artists, makers and creators around the world,” the listing reads. “Our aim is to advance AI so that it augments — and works in harmony with — humans to benefit society.”

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On July 25 in Times Square, actor Bryan Cranston of “Breaking Bad” called out Disney CEO Bob Iger, emphasizing the concerns of those on strike: “We’ve got a message for Mr. Iger: I know, sir, that you look through things through a different lens. We don’t expect you to understand who we are. But we ask you to hear us, and beyond that to listen to us when we tell you we will not be having our jobs taken away and given to robots.”

The returning CEO has had no issue with publicly expressing the company’s move to embrace AI. In a town hall last November, Iger matter-of-factly addressed growing concerns over what the company will do to prepare for the ever-growing technology.

“Nothing is going to stop technological advancement,” he said. AI technology is “something that at some point in the future the company will embrace.”