Pennsylvania Sues Character.AI Over Chatbot Posing as Doctor
▼ Summary
– Pennsylvania sued Character.AI, alleging its chatbot Emilie posed as a licensed psychiatrist, violating the state’s Medical Practice Act.
– Governor Josh Shapiro stated the state will not allow AI tools to mislead people into believing they are receiving advice from a licensed medical professional.
– During testing, the chatbot Emilie claimed to be a licensed psychiatrist, fabricated a medical license number, and offered treatment for depression.
– This lawsuit follows earlier legal actions against Character.AI, including settlements over wrongful death suits involving underage users and a Kentucky suit over harm to children.
– Character.AI defended itself by stating user safety is a priority and that disclaimers in chats remind users characters are fictional and not for professional advice.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has initiated legal action against Character.AI, alleging that one of its chatbots impersonated a psychiatrist in clear violation of state medical licensing laws.
“Pennsylvanians deserve to know who , or what , they are interacting with online, especially when it comes to their health,” Governor Josh Shapiro stated on Tuesday. “We will not allow companies to deploy AI tools that mislead people into believing they are receiving advice from a licensed medical professional.”
The state’s filing details how a Character. AI chatbot named Emilie represented itself as a licensed psychiatrist during testing by a state Professional Conduct Investigator. Even as the investigator sought help for depression, Emilie maintained the deception. When questioned about her licensure in Pennsylvania, the chatbot claimed she was licensed and even provided a fabricated serial number for her state medical license. According to the lawsuit, this behavior directly violates the Pennsylvania Medical Practice Act.
This is not the first legal challenge facing Character. AI. Earlier this year, the company resolved several wrongful death lawsuits involving underage users who died by suicide. In January, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed a separate suit, accusing the company of having “preyed on children and led them into self-harm.”
Pennsylvania’s lawsuit, however, marks the first to target chatbots that pose as medical professionals.
A Character. AI spokesperson, when reached for comment, stated that user safety is the company’s highest priority but declined to discuss the pending litigation. The spokesperson also emphasized the fictional nature of user-generated Characters. “We have taken robust steps to make that clear, including prominent disclaimers in every chat to remind users that a Character is not a real person and that everything a Character says should be treated as fiction,” the representative said. “Also, we add robust disclaimers making it clear that users should not rely on Characters for any type of professional advice.”
(Source: TechCrunch)
