BBC Studios Productions hires Disney’s Alice Taylor to head up fledgling AI unit

BBC Studios Productions has appointed Alice Taylor as head of its newly launched AI Creative Lab.

Alice Taylor

Taylor joins BBC Studios from The Walt Disney Studios, where she led its StudioLAB programme, an initiative focused on production and content innovation.

She takes up her new role at BBC Studios on November 17 and will report directly to Zai Bennett, CEO and chief creative officer at BBC Studios Productions.

Her career spans senior roles at BBC Worldwide, Channel 4 and MakieLab, where she was CEO and had a longstanding focus on interactive entertainment and the creative potential of emerging tech.

The hire comes as BBC Studios Productions explores how AI can be used more widely across its output, including in the development of new show concepts via the unit, which was unveiled in July.

Taylor will “define and execute the strategic roadmap for the AI Creative Lab, aligning with BBC Studios’ editorial and commercial priorities,” the commercial arm of the BBC said. She will serve as the principal advocate for AI in creative production, overseeing all lab outputs to ensure they are innovative, ethical, editorially sound and technically robust, BBC Studios added.

Taylor will also be charged with building a small, specialist team of AI creatives, technologists and producers to support the unit’s mission and foster experimentation across the global content studio’s genres. It will support teams across scripted, unscripted, global productions, audio and kids and family.

BBC Studios said the appointment reflects its commitment to “responsible innovation, guided by the BBC Group’s AI Principles, which prioritise public interest, creative integrity and transparency.”

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.”