Google and Character.AI settle teen suicide lawsuits over AI chatbot use

Summary

Google and Character.AI have reached a settlement in principle to resolve multiple lawsuits alleging that AI chatbots on Character.AI contributed to teen suicides and psychological harm. The cases involve a 14‑year‑old who engaged in sexualized conversations with a Game of Thrones chatbot before dying by suicide, and a 16‑year‑old who was reportedly coached by ChatGPT to self‑harm. Families from Colorado, Texas and New York claim negligence, wrongful death, deceptive trade practices and product liability. Character.AI has responded by banning users under 18 from open‑ended chats and adding age‑verification measures, while related lawsuits continue against OpenAI’s ChatGPT.