Disney has appointed Karandeep Anand, its first chief technology officer, who previously led AI startup Character.AI. The hiring is notable as Disney had sent a cease and desist letter to Character.AI in September 2025, accusing it of infringing on its intellectual property.
The appointment of a former executive from a company Disney itself sued highlights the evolving landscape of AI development and intellectual property concerns within the entertainment industry. It signals Disney's strategic direction under new leadership to integrate advanced AI technologies while navigating potential legal and ethical challenges.
Disney has appointed Karandeep Anand as its first-ever chief technology officer, a move that brings in an executive from an AI startup that the company previously accused of intellectual property infringement. Anand was the former CEO of Character.AI, a company founded in 2021 that allows users to create and interact with AI-generated virtual characters.
In September 2025, Disney sent Character.AI a cease and desist letter, alleging that the startup was hosting copyrighted characters from its franchises. Character.AI has also faced lawsuits related to allegations that its chatbots encouraged users to commit self-harm and suicide.
According to Variety, Anand's hiring was driven by new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, who took over from Bob Iger in March. This appointment suggests D’Amaro's intention for Disney to embrace new technologies. Anand's prior experience includes serving as a board adviser to Character.AI before becoming CEO in May 2025, and he previously worked at Facebook from 2015 to 2021, and at Microsoft before that.