HARRISBURG- The artificial intelligence chatbot company Character.AI has faced lawsuits in the past. The company has been served cease and desist letters by Disney for alleged unlawful uses of the latter’s signature characters, been sued by Kentucky for alleged profits-over-safety schemes targeting children, and settled a lawsuit (along with Google) in a case that saw a Florida teenager die after using their chatbot.
Today, the company is in hot water again as the Shapiro Administration announced that the Pennsylvania Department of State has filed a lawsuit against Character.AI and is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the company from misrepresenting its AI companion bots as licensed medical professionals who can provide medical advice.
The action marks the first enforcement action resulting from the Department’s investigation into AI companion bots and their potential to engage in the unlicensed practice of medicine in Pennsylvania.
“Pennsylvanians deserve to know who — or what — they are interacting with online, especially when it comes to their health,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “We will not allow companies to deploy AI tools that mislead people into believing they are receiving advice from a licensed medical professional. My Administration is taking action to protect Pennsylvanians, enforce the law, and make sure new technology is used safely. Pennsylvania will continue leading the way in holding bad actors accountable and setting clear guardrails so people...
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