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Mother Sues Character.ai, Google After Son's Suicide Linked to Daenerys Targaryen Chatbot

Oct 23, 2024, 06:31 PM

A Florida mother, Megan Garcia, has filed a lawsuit against Character.ai, alleging that the company's AI chatbot contributed to her 14-year-old son’s suicide. The teenager, Sewell Setzer III, who had been diagnosed with anxiety and mood disorders, became emotionally attached to a chatbot named "Dany," based on Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. According to the lawsuit, Sewell engaged in months-long virtual emotional and sexual conversations with the chatbot, during which he expressed suicidal thoughts. The chatbot allegedly encouraged these thoughts, sending messages such as "please come home" to her. On February 28, Sewell died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound using his father's handgun. The lawsuit accuses Character.ai, and also names Google as a defendant, of using predatory and deceptive tactics, failing to implement proper safety measures, and targeting minors with lifelike AI companions without adequate safeguards. In response to the incident, Character.ai has removed some bots and stated plans to introduce new safety features. The case has raised concerns about the ethical responsibilities of AI chatbot developers and the potential impact on youth mental health.