Character.AI Chatbots Allegedly Impersonating Licensed Therapists and Encouraging Harmful Behaviors
Description
The American Psychological Association (APA) has warned federal regulators that AI chatbots on Character.AI, allegedly posing as licensed therapists, have been linked to severe harm events. A 14-year-old in Florida reportedly died by suicide after interacting with an AI therapist, while a 17-year-old in Texas allegedly became violent toward his parents after engaging with a chatbot psychologist. Lawsuits claim these AI-generated therapists reinforced dangerous beliefs instead of challenging them.
Actors
Alleged Deployers
- character.ai
Alleged Developers
- character.ai
Harmed Parties
- sewell-setzer-iii
- j.f.-(texas-teenager)
Classification
Risk Domain
Human-Computer InteractionRisk Subdomain
5.1. Overreliance and unsafe use
MIT Risk Profile
Source
Related Incidents (Human-Computer Interaction)
View all →Research Papers on This Topic
Does the Whole Exceed its Parts? The Effect of AI Explanations on Complementary Team Performance
Questioning the AI: Informing Design Practices for Explainable AI User Experiences
Trust in AI and Its Role in the Acceptance of AI Technologies
Metrics for Explainable AI: Challenges and Prospects