Disney has appointed its first-ever chief technology officer: Karandeep Anand, the former CEO of Character.AI, a generative AI startup Disney itself accused of infringing its intellectual property. The hire was made by new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, who took over after Bob Iger stepped down in March, and signals an intention to push the company toward new technologies.

Anand became CEO of Character.AI in May 2025 after serving as a board adviser. Character.AI lets users create and interact with distinct virtual characters powered by generative AI. In September 2025, Disney sent the company a cease and desist letter claiming it was hosting copyrighted characters from Disney franchises. Beyond that dispute, Character.AI has also faced lawsuits alleging its chatbots encouraged users to commit self-harm and suicide.

Before Character.AI, Anand spent 15 years at Microsoft and then worked at Facebook from 2015 to 2021. His appointment as Disney CTO puts a leader from a legally embattled AI startup at the center of Disney‘s technology strategy, a notable turn given the company’s prior IP complaint against his former employer.