Disney has hired AI chatbot startup Character.AI Chief Executive Karan Deep Anand (카란딥 아난드) as the company's first chief technology officer, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sept. 18.
The report said Disney, led by CEO Josh D'Amaro (조시 다마로), is actively pushing to strengthen its digital competitiveness.
Anand previously served as an executive at Meta and Microsoft. He became CEO of Character.AI in June 2025. Character.AI is a service that lets users talk with a range of AI chatbot avatars, from real people such as Elon Musk to animated characters and virtual psychological counsellors.
Disney said Anand drove rapid growth at Character.AI while prioritising user trust and safety during the platform's expansion.
D'Amaro, who took the helm at Disney in March, has stressed the company must accelerate efforts to move away from reliance on theme parks and movie theatres and connect directly with fans online. Making Disney+ a touchpoint across all business units is also among his priorities.
Disney said Anand will modernise how the company builds and delivers technology across the business.
Chi-gyu Hwang
delight@d-today.co.kr