Disney explores user-generated content to increase engagement : NPR

Fans are tired of waiting for a sequel Frozen continuation or next chapter in Star wars Saga may soon have new ways to interact with these worlds by creating its own content using Disney intellectual property.

That was the tantalizing hint Disney CEO Bob Iger made during earnings call On Thursday, he outlined how the company is exploring ways to make subscription-based streaming service Disney+ more interactive and customizable for users.

While Iger refrained from making any official statements, he suggested that Disney is in talks with artificial intelligence companies about tools that could allow subscribers to create and share their own content based on Disney-owned stories.

“AI will give us the ability to provide Disney+ users with a much more engaging experience, including the ability to create user-generated content,” Iger said.

Disney+ declined to provide further information about what form these new creative tools might take or which tech companies were involved in the talks. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence continues to be a concern in many areas of the entertainment industry, with many companies including Disney deals with lawsuits against AI players for copyright infringement.

Iger acknowledged these tensions. During the conference call, the CEO said the company's discussions with potential artificial intelligence partners are focused on enabling new forms of engagement with fans. And Protecting against uses that dilute or misuse Disney's intellectual property.

“It's obviously critical that we protect our intellectual property with this new technology,” Iger said.

The trend towards increased interactivity

Disney isn't alone in trying to redefine the boundaries between audiences and the entertainment they consume.

On a recent TechCrunch violation conference in San Francisco, Netflix CTO Elizabeth Stone, proposed her own vision of a future based on deeper interaction with users.

“The future of entertainment is likely to be even more personalized, even more interactive and even more immersive,” Stone said during an on-stage conversation with TechCrunch editor-in-chief Connie Loizos.

Beyond games and social media videos, next year will see one of Netflix's most talked about experiments in this direction: Stone told viewers of the classic talent competition Star Search reboot will be able to vote directly from their TVs or phones, influencing which candidates pass and which don't.

Younger audiences and dealmaking drive a desire for interactivity

This level of engagement sits on top of Netflix's vast library of movies and TV series. But platform leaders increasingly view passive surveillance as just part of the picture.

Young audiences, especially Gen Z, are gravitating to places where they can participate, remix and respond rather than just watch. According to Deloitte's Digital Media Trends 2025 report. surveyMore than half of Gen Z respondents say they find social media content more relevant than traditional TV shows and movies. The research also points to the growing popularity of indie creators and changing consumer expectations for quality: Content doesn't always have to be polished to become wildly popular, as some of the most-watched channels on YouTube and TikTok prove.

At the same time, despite ongoing litigation, entertainment corporations are beginning to come to terms with the idea content licensing artificial intelligence companies. One of the most high-profile events in recent weeks is licensing partnership between Universal Music Group and artificial intelligence music creation platform Udio.

“This shows that AI companies can work with the creative community to create models that work for both of them,” Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid told NPR regarding this particular deal. “And I think we'll start to see more and more deals because they realize they can do this and do it right.”