{
  "id": 8293067,
  "title": "Disney names AI executive Karandeep Anand as first-ever chief technology officer",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/disney-names-ai-executive-karandeep-anand-as-first-ever-chief",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-18T19:05:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Straits Times Business",
    "slug": "straits-times-business",
    "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/business/disney-names-ai-executive-karandeep-anand-as-first-ever-chief-technology-officer"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Walt Disney has appointed Karandeep Anand as the first-ever Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the company. Anand, who previously held the position of CEO at Character.AI, an online platform for interacting with AI-generated characters, will oversee technology across the entire Disney organization. This marks a significant move from the past, where CTO roles were limited to specific business units within Disney.\n\nDisney's incoming CEO, Josh D’Amaro, has placed a strong emphasis on leveraging technology. Under D’Amaro's leadership, Disney aims to transform its streaming service, Disney+, into a comprehensive platform encompassing not only films and television series but also gaming and other interactive experiences.\n\nAnand brings a wealth of experience to the role, having previously worked at Microsoft Corp and Facebook. At Microsoft, he served as Vice President for Ads and Business Products, while at Facebook, he held the position of Vice President for Ads and Business Products. Anand's career demonstrates a strong background in both technology and digital advertising.",
  "summary": "Anand previously served as chief executive of Character.AI, an online chatbot that lets users talk with artificially created characters.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Disney names Character.AI's Karandeep Anand its first tech chief",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/disney-names-character-ais-karandeep-anand-its-first-tech-chief",
        "published": "2026-09-18T15:17:43.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TheWrap",
        "title": "Disney Taps AI Vet Karandeep Anand as Chief Technology Officer",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/disney-taps-ai-vet-karandeep-anand-as-chief-technology-officer",
        "published": "2026-09-18T16:04:59.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Deadline",
        "title": "A Year After Jousting With Character.AI, Disney Names Its CEO As Its First Chief Technology Officer",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/a-year-after-jousting-with-character-ai-disney-names-its-ceo-as-its",
        "published": "2026-09-18T16:38:10.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Economic Times Tech",
        "title": "Disney names Character.AI's Karandeep Anand its first tech chief",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/disney-names-character-ais-karandeep-anand-its-first-tech-chief-8281929",
        "published": "2026-09-18T17:25:30.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}