# Disney AI Accelerator 2026 program > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/disney-ai-accelerator-2026-program > Updated: 2026-08-03T09:52:31.000Z. Sources: 8. Developments: 2. In late July 2026 Disney announced the new class of its Accelerator, naming five AI‑focused startups—FieldAI, Physical Intelligence, Promise, OpenArt and Simile—to work with the company over a four‑month period on robotics, generative‑AI tools for film production and other projects. The announcement also included a patent for an automated vending system that would dispense assistive devices such as headphones, strollers and wheelchairs to authenticated guests in Disney parks. A few days later, Disney reiterated the cohort selection, providing more detail on each startup’s technology and confirming a demo day on the Walt Disney Studio Lot in early November. The same report also noted Google Play’s parallel 2026 accelerator, which selected 20 Indian AI‑focused app developers for a three‑month mentorship program. Together the snapshots trace the rollout of Disney’s 2026 AI accelerator, from its initial launch and patent filing to the detailed cohort announcement and the broader context of similar accelerator activity by Google. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-03: Disney and Google pick AI startups for 2026 accelerator programmes Disney's Accelerator picks five AI startups for a four‑month program ending with a Burbank demo day, while Google's Play Accelerator selects 20 Indian AI app developers for a three‑month mentorship across many 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/disney-and-google-pick-ai-startups-for-2026-accelerator-programmes ### 2026-07-30: The Walt Disney Company launches AI‑focused 2026 Accelerator and patents automated assistive‑device vending system Disney unveiled its 2026 AI Accelerator with five startups and filed a patent for an automated vending system to distribute assistive devices to qualified guests. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/the-walt-disney-company-launches-aifocused-2026-accelerator-and-patents-automated-assistivedevice-ve --- Cite as: Disney AI Accelerator 2026 program. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/disney-ai-accelerator-2026-program