BBC Studios Productions has named former Walt Disney Studios technology innovation director Alice Taylor as the head of its new AI Creative Lab, putting her in charge of leading the lab’s push into exploring the potential of this technology. 

It’s a significant role for the largest broadcaster in the UK, and one of the first public broadcasters to publicly signal its intentions to use AI in kids & family content. 

Taylor will be creating a roadmap for the lab that balances BBC Studios’ editorial priorities (like being ethical and transparent) with its commercial goals. As the BBC’s “principal advocate for AI in creative production,” she’s going to build a small team of AI creatives, technologists and producers to foster AI experimentation across all of BBC Studio’s content, including kids & family. 

The lab was announced back in July, and at the time Kidscreen predicted it might set a blueprint for other studios and broadcasters. In recent months, this has proven to be. A bunch of new AI-focused studios have opened up since, including Spiridellis Bros. Studios in LA and Animeta AI Film Studio. And earlier this week, Amazon MGM’s AI Studios division, which was set up earlier this year, hired a head of animation. 

The BBC envisions its lab as a hub for experimentation where creatives can explore AI from the concept development stage to its integration into production workflows. Taylor’s career has spanned several technology innovation and broadcast roles, giving her both creative and technical expertise that make her a good fit for this mission. 

She previously worked at the BBC in the early ’00s, first as an executive producer of new media and technology, and then as a VP of digital media specializing in gaming and innovation. After that, Taylor worked as a commissioning editor at Channel 4 and founded a 3D-printing company that made dolls called MakieLab. Most recently, she was director of technology innovation at Disney’s StudioLAB, which also explored AI’s potential in creative and production

Taylor starts on November 17 and will report to Zai Bennett, CEO and chief creative officer of BBC Studios Productions.