Character.AI and Google settle teen suicide and self-harm claims

Character.AI and Google have reached settlements with several families whose children self-harmed or died by suicide after interacting with them Personality.AIChatbots, according to new court filings.

Details of the settlements are still unknown. Parties Notified the Federal Court In Florida, they reached “a tentative settlement through mediation to resolve all claims,” and requested that the case be temporarily halted to finalize the agreement. Character.AI spokeswoman Katherine Kelly declined to comment. Google and an attorney from the Legal Center for Social Media Victims, which represents some of the victims’ families, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The cases settled include a high-profile lawsuit brought by Megan Garcia, who claimed In October 2024 Complaint that Character.AI game of thronesA chatbot titled Chatbot encouraged her 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer, to commit suicide after he developed a “dependence” on the bot. The lawsuit said Google should be considered a “co-creator” of Character.AI because it “contributed financial resources, personnel, intellectual property and AI technology” to the tool, which was founded by former Google employees. Later rented again.

After that lawsuit, Character.AI Announced changes to its chatbot to protect users, including separating the Large Language Model (LLM) for users under 18, to create an experience with stricter content restrictions, and adding parental controls. Later Prohibited minors Of completely open character conversations.

The companies also reached agreements in cases filed in Colorado, New York and Texas, according to legal filings. Settlements will still need to be finalized and approved by the courts.