Disney Signs On to a New 'Responsible AI' Coalition Alongside The New York Times and Adobe

Disney has joined ARIAM, the Alliance for Responsible Innovation in the Arts & Media, a new AI coalition launched by ex-Netflix executive Victoria Furniss. Founding members including The New York Times and Adobe want legal and policy guardrails that protect human creativity as AI reshapes media and entertainment.

Disney is among the founding members of a new artificial-intelligence coalition built to champion "responsible and sustainable AI innovation" without sidelining human creativity. Launched by former Netflix and Warner Bros. executive Victoria Furniss, the Alliance for Responsible Innovation in the Arts & Media (ARIAM) debuts with heavyweight backers including The New York Times and Adobe.

A Coalition for "Responsible" AI

Announced Monday, ARIAM bills itself as "a first-of-its-kind cross content sector coalition seeking to ensure that AI supports human creativity, respects the rule of law, and safeguards consumers." Its founding roster pairs Disney with The New York Times, Adobe, Condé Nast, the Financial Times, ITV, Advance, the BBC, Cambridge University Press & Assessment, U.K. publisher Reach and academic publisher Wiley.

Furniss, who currently leads the Birdella Group as CEO and co-founder, said she isn't looking to "slow AI down" but rather to make sure it can "sustain the broader ecosystems long term." The group plans to push for legal and policy guardrails, directing its funding toward analyses, tools and services that advance those goals. (Furniss declined to disclose ARIAM's launch funding.)

"ARIAM is a first-of-its-kind cross content sector coalition seeking to ensure that AI supports human creativity, respects the rule of law, and safeguards consumers," Furniss said. "AI developers have a genuine opportunity to ensure that creativity and innovation both flourish."

Disney's Stake in the AI Debate

Many of ARIAM's members have either struck deals with AI companies or are building their own AI tools — even as the creative community has swung between embracing the technology and reckoning with the threat it poses to media and entertainment. Just last week, the Directors Guild of America became the latest major Hollywood union to write new AI protections into its tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, following earlier deals from SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America.

ARIAM says its intended beneficiaries include "consumers (particularly children), creators, and, more broadly, our culture, society, and democratic institutions." Among its launch advisers is Damian Collins, OBE, who previously served as a U.K. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology under prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

"Using AI to break the law can never be an acceptable excuse," Collins said. "Laws around personal safety, intellectual property and financial crime still apply in the age of AI. This is why ARIAM has been created and why I'm proud to be working with this necessary initiative."

What This Means for Fans

For Disney, joining ARIAM is a signal that the company wants a seat at the table as the rules around AI and creative work get written — protecting the storytellers, characters and franchises fans love while leaving room for new technology. As studios, publishers and unions all stake out their positions, expect coalitions like this one to help shape how AI is allowed to touch the movies, shows and stories coming out of Hollywood.