www.hollywoodreporter.com: Disney has hired Karandeep Anand as its first chief technology officer, in time for an unfolding generative AI tools era.
While also serving as senior executive vp, Anand comes to Disney after being CEO of Character.AI and also being a former Meta and Microsoft exec. Anand will report directly to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro.
2 comments:
I'm not sure I’m a fan of Disney introducing a new technology officer. Disney was such a childhood staple for me, and I don’t love the idea of someone with such an AI-centric resume holding a position of power at the company whose movies shaped my childhood. AI is a part of life, and there is no escaping it, even in the arts, but the idea of a company that is rooted in creativity hiring a technology officer who used to be the CEO of character.ai feels a little weird to me. The CEO of Disney stated that Karandeep’s experience with AI and entertainment will help with Disney's mission that includes storytelling, and I really don’t think AI and storytelling should be in the same sentence. I think that AI in Disney movies should be limited to things like the simulation software used for Merida’s hair in Brave, not in the writers' room, and introducing a pro-AI technology officer makes me worry for the future of Disney's productions.
This is one of those situations where I am truly unsure if this is a step in the right direction for Disney, or a leap in the wrong one. Disney is known for pioneering new technologies in the name of creativity and entertainment, but they're also known for not prioritizing ethicality in their processes. Both of these facts point towards an iffy implementation of AI into the company. However, it is important to give the benefit of the doubt. With the company clearly making an approach towards AI implementation, I imagine there have been meetings about where(/if) they draw the line in using AI for their projects. However, I feel that it is important to realize that where they tell the public they are drawing the line vs. where they actually draw that line will likely be two very different places. I think it's also important to realize that it may rely on the people in the room to hold themselves accountable. While a company may instruct its employees not to use AI, unless there are systems put in place to stop it, people may choose on their own to use it anyway, just like cheating on a test.
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