Just weeks after OpenAI shattered Disney’s dreams of making money with AI slop, its CFO Hugh Johnston had a pretty unique take on the way his company may benefit from the rise of generative media: If everything you see online is fake, consumers will want to go out and touch grass. Or rather, hug a real-life Mickey Mouse impersonator in one of its parks.
“In a world of rising AI-driven content, we think it may end up increasing even more the value consumers place on authentic real-life experiences with those that they are close to, like we deliver across our parks and resorts every day,” Johnston told investors during the company’s Q2 2026 earnings call yesterday.