Disney Appoints First Chief Technology Officer
Disney has named Karan D. Anand, former CEO of Character.AI, as the company's first Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to bolster its artificial intelligence strategy.
Entertainment giant Disney announced on September 18 that Karan D. Anand will join the company as Senior Executive Vice President and its first Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Anand's appointment is effective October 2, and he will report directly to CEO Bob Iger. This move signals Disney's intent to integrate technology and artificial intelligence more deeply across its operations.
Anand will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, as well as product and engineering. His role will involve coordinating various tech teams to modernize Disney's technology development and delivery processes. This appointment follows CEO Bob Iger's emphasis on leveraging technology to drive business growth since taking the helm.
Prior to Disney, Anand led Character.AI, a company known for developing AI-powered chatbots. During his tenure, Character.AI experienced significant growth, building one of the world's most active consumer AI user communities. Anand also has previous experience at fintech firm Brex and Meta Platforms.
The hiring comes as Disney seeks to enhance its use of AI in content creation and customer experiences. Notably, Disney had previously issued a cease-and-desist letter to Character.AI concerning the alleged unauthorized use of its copyrighted characters, highlighting emerging intellectual property challenges in the AI space.