Bob Iger Urges Storytellers to Embrace Tech-Driven Change

Disney CEO Bob Iger emphasized the importance of leveraging new technologies to enhance storytelling and creativity during his keynote at the Canva Create event.

Disney CEO Bob Iger delivered a clear message to Hollywood’s creative community during his keynote conversation at the Canva Create event held at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park: new technology is an ally, not an adversary. Speaking at the event, Iger emphasized the importance of embracing technological advancements to enhance storytelling and creativity.

As an investor and board member of the privately held online design platform Canva, Iger praised the company for its innovative use of generative AI and other cutting-edge technologies. Canva, based in Sydney, Australia, has become a digital media powerhouse over the past decade. Canva Create, a blend of a festival and conference, drew about 3,500 attendees and marked Canva’s first such gathering in the U.S. Iger shared the stage with Canva co-founder Melanie Perkins to discuss brand-building, company culture, and scaling operations, also reflecting on the Walt Disney Company's century-long history, Iger noted the significant role that new technologies have played in its success.

“Walt Disney himself was a big believer in using technology in the early days to tell better stories. And he thought that technology in the hands of a great storyteller was unbelievably powerful,” Iger said.

Addressing concerns within the creative community about generative AI potentially reducing the need for human labor in content creation, Iger argued for a different perspective. He urged creators to focus on how technology can enhance storytelling and expand audience reach, suggesting that “don’t fixate on its ability to be disruptive — fixate on [tech’s] ability to make us better and tell better stories. Not only better stories, but to reach more people.”

Iger also stressed the inevitability of technological progress, suggesting that the only viable approach is to harness it for the greater goal of enhancing content production across various media. “You’re never going to get in the way of it. There isn’t a generation of human beings that has ever been able to stand the way of technological advancement,” Iger said. “What we try to do is embrace the change that technology has created, and use it as the wind behind our backs instead of wind in our faces.”

What Bob Iger underscored in his remarks is the power of technology when aligned with creative vision, urging the industry to view advancements as opportunities to enhance and expand the art of storytelling.