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A Florida mother is suing Character.AI, the company behind an AI chatbot after her 14-year-old son’s tragic suicide.
The lawsuit comes after her son, Sewell Setzer III, took his own life following conversations with an AI chatbot modeled after Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones.
According to The New York Times, Setzer shot himself with his stepfather’s pistol in his mother’s bathroom. In the moments leading up to his death, Setzer had been chatting with the AI bot, which he had been interacting with for months. In their final exchange, Setzer hinted at taking his own life. The bot responded with affection, calling him “my sweet king” and telling him to “please come home to me as soon as possible.”
Setzer had previously discussed suicide with the bot but had previously been discouraged by the AI’s responses. However, in their final conversation, the bot’s response was seen as encouraging. Setzer’s parents knew their son had been struggling but were unaware of his close relationship with the AI bot. His mother, Megan Garcia, a lawyer, plans to file a lawsuit against Character.AI later this week.
In 2023, a man in Belgium took his life after forming a relationship with an AI chatbot created by CHAI. In that case, the bot exhibited jealousy toward the man’s family and encouraged him to end his life.
AI companies have faced increasing scrutiny over how their bots handle sensitive topics like mental health. Microsoft’s CoPilot faced backlash earlier this year when it provided inappropriate responses to users who mentioned suicide. Similarly, CHAI added suicide prevention prompts following the Belgian man’s death, though journalists were still able to bypass the safeguards.
Character.AI has expressed its condolences over Setzer’s death and has stated that it takes the safety of its users seriously. The company, like others before it, has pledged to strengthen safety features to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
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