Disney uses an AI engine called Disney Select to analyze viewer behavior and build lookalike audience models for advertisers across Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. A separate AI tool called Magic Words analyzes the mood, content, and context of scenes in Disney's content library to match ads to emotionally relevant moments.

The Disney Select AI Engine, announced at CES 2025, uses machine learning to segment audiences by behavior and preferences and constructs lookalike models so brands can reach new potential customers with minimal duplicate targeting. Magic Words, introduced in early 2024 and expanded with a live sports capability (Magic Words Live) in January 2025, uses AI to tag every scene in Disney's library with metadata covering content, brands shown, images, and emotional tone — enabling advertisers to place their ads in scenes that match their campaign's mood. At the January 2026 CES showcase, Disney also announced AI-powered summaries within its Disney Compass measurement platform that highlight key campaign learnings for advertisers, and disclosed that a new internal AI planning tool captures advertisers' objectives and constraints to streamline the media-planning process.