EXCLUSIVE: The head of the Disney StudioLAB is returning to the UK to lead BBC Studios’ artificial intelligence (AI) push.
Alice Taylor will take up a gig running BBC Studios Productions AI Creative Lab in five days time reporting to productions boss Zai Bennett. The native Brit has spent the past decade at Walt Disney Studios as Director of Technological Innovation, where she oversaw the StudioLAB initiative, delivering projects including Remebering, the first interactive content on Disney+.
Taylor will build out a team of two to three people as she creates a “roadmap” for the lab that will see AI used more across BBC Studios content. Recent examples include ressurecting Agatha Christie’s voice via AI and CGI filmmaking in Prehistoric Planet. Supporting teams across genre, Taylor will seek to “bring together AI specialists, creative talent, and producers to explore how AI can unlock new possibilities, from concept development to production workflows,” according to BBC Studios.
The Creative Lab was announced several months back and comes as more and more of the world’s biggest production outfits look to better leverage the controversial tech. BBC Studios said Taylor’s work in AI will be “ethical,” a hot button issue at present.
Taylor returns to BBC Studios where she prevoiusly worked across digital when it was called BBC Worldwide. Other past roles include commissioning editor at Channel 4.
Bennett said: “Alice brings a rare blend of creative vision and technical expertise, and we’re thrilled to welcome her back to the BBC. Her leadership will be instrumental in shaping how we use AI to tell stories in bold, imaginative ways, while staying true to our editorial values and creative integrity.”
Taylor added: “We have an incredible opportunity to blend cutting-edge AI with world-class storytelling, opening up new opportunities for BBC Studios productions to do what they do best: invent, create, deliver, and scale truly exceptional entertainment.”
