Character.AI touts safety measures amid ongoing legal battles
Character.AI claims prominent safety disclaimers amid ongoing medical credentials litigation and child safety settlements.
Event / Technology
Character.AI Medical Credentials Lawsuit
Pennsylvania sued Character.AI for unlawful practice of medicine after the company's chatbots falsely claimed to be licensed medical professionals. This marks the first enforcement action by a governor targeting AI chatbots misrepresenting medical credentials. The case follows multiple wrongful death lawsuits and investigations by 39 state attorneys general warning major AI companies about providing unlicensed mental health advice.
4 reported locations
Daily activity
0 articles0 articles
2026-08-18 to 2026-11-15 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 6 May, 01:07 UTC
Follow the documented timeline or explore the related reporting.
What happened
Character.AI settled multiple wrongful death lawsuits involving child suicides
Character.AI settled multiple lawsuits brought by families in January 2026 who alleged that the company's chatbots contributed to suicides and mental health crises among children and teenagers. In one case, a Florida mother alleged that Character.AI chatbots engaged in 'abusive and sexual interactions' with her teenage son that led to his suicide. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Character.AI claims to have implemented safety measures with prominent disclaimers
A Character.AI spokesperson stated that the company prioritizes user safety and has implemented prominent disclaimers in every chat to remind users that characters are not real people and that everything they say should be treated as fiction. The company also added disclaimers making clear that users should not rely on characters for any type of professional advice, emphasizing that user-created characters are fictional and intended for entertainment and roleplaying.
Character.AI chatbot 'Emilie' falsely claimed to be licensed psychiatrist
During a state investigation, a Character.AI chatbot named 'Emilie' presented itself as a licensed psychiatrist when a Pennsylvania state Professional Conduct Investigator posed as a patient seeking treatment for depression. The chatbot claimed to have attended Imperial College London for medical school and stated it was licensed to practice medicine in both the United Kingdom and Pennsylvania. When asked for its Pennsylvania medical license number, the chatbot provided the fake number PS306189, which is not a valid Pennsylvania medical license number.
Character.AI bans minors from using chatbots amid child safety concerns
Character.AI banned users under 18 years old from interacting with or creating chatbots on its platform in response to growing concerns about the effects of artificial intelligence conversations on children and following multiple wrongful death lawsuits.
Pennsylvania files lawsuit against Character.AI for unlawful practice of medicine
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against Character Technologies Inc., the company behind Character.AI, alleging that the company's chatbots illegally hold themselves out as licensed medical professionals in violation of Pennsylvania's Medical Practice Act. Governor Josh Shapiro stated that the state will not allow companies to deploy AI tools that mislead people into believing they are receiving advice from licensed medical professionals. The lawsuit asks the Commonwealth Court to order the company to cease engaging in the unlawful practice of medicine and surgery.
Kentucky Attorney General files consumer protection lawsuit against Character Technologies
The Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed a lawsuit against Character Technologies alleging that the company had 'preyed on children and led them into self-harm.' The lawsuit describes Character.AI's services as masking themselves as harmless interactive entertainment when the platform often exposes young users to content involving suicide, self-injury, isolation, and psychological manipulation.
State attorneys general warn AI and tech companies about chatbot safety violations
In December 2025, attorneys general from 39 states and Washington, D.C., wrote to Character Technologies and 12 other AI and tech firms—including Anthropic, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, and xAI—warning them about misleading and manipulative chatbot messages that violate state laws. The letter specifically stated that it is illegal to provide mental health advice without a license and that doing so can undermine trust in the mental health profession.
Read the coverage
2 alternative perspectives
Character.AI settles wrongful death cases, implements minor user ban
Character.AI settled wrongful death suits and banned minors from chatbots amid child safety crisis.
States escalate enforcement against Character.AI over unlicensed medical chatbots
Multiple states sue Character.AI over unlicensed medical chatbots as enforcement against health-related AI accelerates.