Disney Taps AI Vet Karandeep Anand as Chief Technology Officer

Former Character.AI CEO Karandeep Anand has been appointed as Disney's new senior executive vice president and chief technology officer, starting on October 2. In this newly established role, Anand will be responsible for overseeing enterprise technology, infrastructure, data, AI platforms, product development, and engineering across Disney. He will report directly to Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro.

Anand led Character.AI through a period of rapid growth, building a highly engaged consumer AI audience while prioritizing user trust and safety. Prior to that, he served as president and chief product officer at fintech company Brex and held leadership positions at Meta, including vice president of ads and business products.

Anand expressed his admiration for Disney's ability to blend storytelling with cutting-edge technology, stating that he is honored to join a team of exceptional creative talent. He looks forward to leveraging the company's technology capabilities to enhance Disney's fan engagement and deliver new and innovative entertainment experiences.

The appointment of Anand comes as Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro focuses on transforming Disney+ into the "digital centerpiece" for the company's portfolio. This includes plans to launch a unified standalone app for Disney+ and Hulu by year-end and the potential introduction of a free streaming tier to boost engagement and subscriber growth. Additionally, Disney is exploring the integration of AI in the creative process, while maintaining a human-centered, artist-driven approach to storytelling.

Disney has been utilizing AI in various aspects of its business, including designing and operating theme parks, creating digital twins and simulation tools for attraction development, simplifying vacation booking and planning, and equipping cast members with AI-assisted tools to better serve guests. Anand's expertise in infrastructure, consumer technology, and AI will be a valuable addition to Disney's senior leadership team as they pursue their priorities of great storytelling, technology in service of creativity, and operating as One Disney.