Disney Taps Character.AI CEO as First CTO Amid AI Push

Disney has hired Karandeep Anand, the CEO of Character.AI, as its first Chief Technology Officer (CTO). This move is significant as it brings enterprise technology and AI platform efforts under one leader. Anand starts on October 2nd and will report directly to Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro.

Anand's remit spans enterprise technology, AI platforms, and engineering across Disney's businesses. Some Character.AI technical staff are expected to follow him, indicating that Disney wants not just an AI strategy but also the necessary infrastructure and personnel to deploy it.

This hiring comes with some sensitivity due to Character.AI facing lawsuits related to chatbot behavior. Additionally, Disney previously sent a cease-and-desist over unauthorized use of its characters, highlighting the brand and legal risks associated with consumer-facing AI.

Anand brings a strong background in enterprise technology, having worked at Brex, Meta's Facebook, and Microsoft on Azure. This experience aligns with Disney's push to modernize its tech backbone as it expands into streaming services like Disney+ and Hulu.