Character.AI CEO Karandeep Anand will join Disney as its new senior executive vice president and chief technology officer, effective Oct. 2.
In the newly created role, Anand will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product and engineering, working across Disney’s teams to modernize how it builds and delivers technology companywide. He will report directly to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro.
In addition to his appointment, a number of Character.AI’s technical team members are expected to join the entertainment giant.
Anand led Character.AI through a period of explosive growth, building one of the most engaged consumer AI audiences in the world, while also making user trust and safety a priority as the platform scaled.
Before that, he was president and chief product officer of fintech company Brex and served in leadership roles at Meta’s Facebook, including vice president of ads and business products. Earlier in his career, Anand held senior product and engineering leadership roles at Microsoft, where he worked for 15 years and was part of the team that built the Azure platform.
“I’ve admired Disney my entire life for how it blends unforgettable storytelling with the latest technology to constantly push the boundaries of what entertainment can be,” Anand said in a statement. “I’m honored to join a team with such extraordinary creative talent, and I look forward to building on the company’s impressive technology capabilities to help Disney connect fans worldwide with its beloved stories and characters in new and innovative ways.”
The move comes as D’Amaro focuses on transforming Disney+ into the “digital centerpiece” for the company’s portfolio, which includes film and TV, sports, parks and experiences, merchandise and gaming. Elements of that vision will start being introduced in the spring.
Disney+ and Hulu remain on track to become a unified standalone app by year-end. Executives have also teased that Disney+ is exploring the launch of a free streaming tier to boost engagement and subscriber growth and that the service is “well positioned” to become an aggregator of third-party streaming services through both bundles and add-ons.
It also comes as Disney is looking to leverage AI in the creative process. However, D’Amaro has emphasized that the company’s storytelling would remain “human-centered, artist-driven, and creator-led.”
In its experiences business, Disney is already using the technology to help design, build and operate its parks and attractions. Earlier this year, it made its J.A.R.V.I.S. AI tool available to its more than 2,000 Imagineers, giving them instant access to more than 70 years of institutional knowledge. It’s also using AI-powered digital twins and simulation tools to design and stress-test new attractions, including for its upcoming Abu Dhabi theme park.
Additionally, AI is being used to simplify the vacation booking and planning process, and cast members are being equipped with AI-assisted tools to better serve guests in the moment.
“Karandeep brings a rare mix of experience across infrastructure, consumer technology and AI, and will be a vital addition to Disney’s senior leadership team as we further our three priorities: great storytelling as our North Star, technology in service of creativity, and operating as One Disney,” D’Amaro said. “He is an expert builder and strategist, technical and product-minded, with sharp instincts for what fans actually want. He also has real enthusiasm and respect for Disney, a clear sense of where technology and creativity meet, and shares our belief that technology creates the most value when it helps people do their best work.”
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