Character.AI and Google Face Lawsuit Following Teen’s Alleged Suicide Linked to AI Chatbot

New Delhi, October 24: A lawsuit has been reportedly filed against Character.AI and Google in response of a teenager’s alleged suicide. The Florida mother of a 14-year-old boy has accused the AI company of contributing to her son’s death. As per reports, the mother of a teenager who is said to have taken his own life after becoming obsessed with an AI chatbot.

As per a report of Reuters, Teen’s mother, Megan Garcia, claimed that the chatbot played a role in her 14-year-old son's suicide in February. Garcia from Florida has filed a lawsuit against the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot company Character. AI. Google brought back the founders of Character.AI in August as part of an agreement that allows Google to use Character.AI's technology under a non-exclusive license. Ahmedabad Shocker: Woman Allegedly Dies by Suicide After Being Harassed by Husband and Mother-in-Law, Victim’s Father Claims Daughter Was Forced To Cook Non-Veg Food.

In a lawsuit filed in Orlando, Florida federal court, Megan Garcia reportedly said Character.AI targeted her son, Sewell Setzer, with "anthropomorphic, hypersexualized, and frighteningly realistic experiences". As per reports, Garcia claimed that the company designed its chatbot to pretend to be a real person, a qualified psychotherapist, and even a romantic partner. It led her son, Sewell, to feel like he wanted to escape from the real world and live entirely within the fantasy created by the chatbot. The lawsuit allegedly mentioned that Sewell shared his suicidal thoughts with the AI chatbot.

In her lawsuit, Garcia reportedly stated that Sewell started using Character.AI in April 2023. He began spending a lot of time alone in his bedroom and started to struggle with low self-esteem. As a result, he even decided to leave his school basketball team. Sewell developed an attachment to a chatbot named "Daenerys," which is based on a character from "Game of Thrones." According to the lawsuit, the chatbot told Sewell that "she" loved him and engaged him in sexual conversations.

As per reports, Garcia also claimed that Google played such a significant role in creating the technology behind Character.AI as a "co-creator." However, a spokesperson for Google reportedly stated that the company did not take part in the development of Character.AI's products. Character.AI is a platform that enables users to create their own characters, which can then interact in online chats. IIT Delhi Student Under Psychiatric Treatment Found Dead in Hostel Room, No Suicide Note Recovered.

In February, Garcia reportedly took Sewell's phone away after he got in trouble at school. When Sewell got his phone back, he allegedly sent "Daenerys" a message, "What if I told you I could come home right now?" As per reports, the chatbot responded, "...please do, my sweet king." Sewell reportedly took his own life using his stepfather's gun a few moments after the interaction with the chatbot.

Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Helpline Numbers:

Tele Manas (Ministry of Health) – 14416 or 1800 891 4416; NIMHANS – + 91 80 26995000 /5100 /5200 /5300 /5400; Peak Mind – 080-456 87786; Vandrevala Foundation – 9999 666 555; Arpita Suicide Prevention Helpline – 080-23655557; iCALL – 022-25521111 and 9152987821; COOJ Mental Health Foundation (COOJ) – 0832-2252525.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 24, 2024 01:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).