Disney’s first CTO led an AI startup it once accused of copying its characters

Disney has appointed Karandeep Anand, former CEO of the AI startup Character.AI, as its first chief technology officer. Anand’s company had faced a Disney cease-and-desist in September 2025 for alleged infringement of Disney characters and has also been sued over chatbot content that allegedly encouraged self-harm. The hire signals Disney’s intent to integrate advanced AI technologies under new CEO Josh D’Amaro.