Disney hires ex-CEO of AI company it accused of copyright infringement

The company is also apparently willing to let bygones be bygones -- Disney has announced that it's hiring Karandeep Anand, the former CEO of Character.AI, as its first chief technology officer. "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," Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro said in a statement. "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." Since becoming CEO in February, D'Amaro has leaned hard into Disney's capabilities as a technology company, pitching the Disney streaming service and app as central to its future. Hiring Anand, and making him a direct report, is a further attempt to sell that idea.