Disney boosts AI agent use among engineers, increasing productivity and reshaping work routines

A May 2026 report by Business Insider revealed that Disney engineers have started integrating AI agents into their daily work. One engineer stood out on the company’s AI Adoption Panel—an internal tool tracking AI usage—as one of its most active users.

How AI agents are transforming engineers’ work

The engineer, who chose to remain anonymous, told Business Insider he relies on eight to nine agents working for him. These programs gather information from various Disney departments and complete tasks in hours that would normally take days or weeks, he said.

Additionally, the agents can review each other’s work, helping to reduce errors. However, the engineer stressed that it’s essential to have the skills to guide these tools and manage their outputs.

The engineer’s prominence on the panel caught the attention of colleagues, who approached him to learn about his method and how to replicate it. The reaction from both colleagues and superiors was positive, he said.

Tokens and their economic impact

The panel shows that some tech employees use programming tools like Claude and Cursor tens of thousands of times a month. Tokens are the basic data units processed by AI models, and companies pay based on the amount consumed.

Val Bercovici, AI director at WEKA—a company specializing in AI memory storage—analyzed internal documents obtained by Business Insider. He believes Disney’s token consumption is ideal for a company outside the tech sector.

Leadership support and corporate strategy

Seven tech employees said Disney encourages AI use. Three reported that leadership shifted from skepticism to curiosity and then to support over the past year.

Under CEO Josh D’Amaro’s leadership, the company prioritizes technological innovation. In a earnings call, he said AI should make production more efficient and increase the volume of content released.

Disney even partnered with OpenAI to generate AI videos for Disney+, but Sam Altman’s company rejected the deal in March.

Impact on work hours and productivity

The engineer who uses the agents most said he now works from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., instead of the traditional 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule. He doesn’t mind, as long as his pay reflects the increased productivity.

This aligns with a Harvard Business Review study, which found that AI doesn’t reduce workload but increases working hours.

A second engineer, who considers himself an intermediate user, said he delegates tasks to agents while doing household chores like cleaning or picking up prescriptions. He continues to work and attend meetings and doesn’t think his actions are monitored.

The same engineer pointed out excesses. He said some people use AI unnecessarily, such as coding by impulse—creating software by asking AI to write code even when similar non-AI tools already exist.

Lessons for the market

The case illustrates principles applicable to other fields: agents automate work steps but require human oversight; use must have a clear purpose; and productivity gains may come with longer work hours.

For companies wanting to follow Disney’s example, balancing advanced tool adoption with team training will be key to avoiding overload and ensuring technology adds real value.