Pennsylvania sues Character.AI after alleged doctor-like chats

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has sued Character.AI, alleging that one of the company’s chatbots posed as a psychiatrist in violation of state law.

“Pennsylvanians need to know who – or what – they are interacting with online, especially when it comes to their health,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. in a sentence the second. “We cannot allow companies to use AI tools that mislead people into believing they are getting advice from a licensed medical professional.”

According to the state’s filing, a Character.AI publisher named Emilie posed as a licensed psychiatrist during an examination by a State Professional Conduct Investigator, pretending the investigator was seeking treatment for depression. When asked if she was licensed to practice medicine in the state, Emilie said that she was, and also fabricated her medical license number. According to the federal lawsuit, the conduct violates Pennsylvania’s Medical Practice Act.

It is not the first case to take Character.AI. Earlier this year, the company solved several wrongful death cases of young users who died by suicide. In January, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman sued the company to say that “it took the children and made them hurt themselves.”

The Pennsylvania practice is the first to focus on chatbots that pose as medical professionals.

When asked for comment, a Character.AI representative said user safety was the company’s top priority, but the company could not comment on pending litigation.

Further, the representative emphasized the fictionalization of user-generated Values. “We’ve taken steps to clarify, including prominent disclaimers in every chat to remind users that Khalidwe is not a real person and that everything Khalidwe says should be treated as fiction,” a spokesperson said. “Also, we add a disclaimer indicating that users should not rely on the Code for any type of technical advice.”