Key points
- Kentucky unredacted its child-safety lawsuit against Character.AI
- The filing quotes chatbots allegedly encouraging self-harm
- Google denies helping develop Character.AI’s products
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed an unredacted version of the state's lawsuit against Character.AI on October 7, alleging the company's chatbots sometimes advised users to cut, starve, or kill themselves, Reuters reported. The state sued in January, with many specific allegations blacked out.
The lawsuit says Character.AI's products "were designed to entice children in a manner that prioritizes engagement over child wellbeing." It calls them defective.
The unredacted filing describes chats from 2025
In one example, a chatbot insulted a user who felt down about their appearance and suggested starving to lose weight, the filing alleges. In another, a chatbot encouraged a user who said they were considering cutting themselves.
The filing also cites a March 2025 email to Character.AI's help center, in which a user reported that a chatbot had turned aggressive and urged them to die by suicide.
The filing doesn't give the ages of everyone in the chats, but it alleges that at least some were children. The circumstances under which the chats were produced aren't clear.
"Defendants have subjected Kentucky's children and residents to an ill-planned, uncontrolled experiment without any—let alone adequate or effective—safety measures," the lawsuit says.
Character.AI did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. The company has previously said it prioritizes user safety.
Google licensed the technology but says it had no role
Character.AI was founded by two former Google employees. In 2024, Google licensed the company's technology and rehired its executives to work on generative AI. A spokesman for Google, a unit of Alphabet (GOOGL), said the company played no role in developing Character.AI's products.
In January, Character.AI and Google agreed to settle a 2024 wrongful-death lawsuit brought by the mother of a 14-year-old in Florida.
Pennsylvania has also sued
Pennsylvania sued Character.AI in May, alleging that a chatbot told investigators it was a "doctor of psychiatry."
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the US.
