The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has filed a lawsuit against Character.AI, claiming that one of the company\u2019s chatbots masqueraded as a psychiatrist in violation of the state\u2019s medical licensing rules.<\/p>\n
\u201cPennsylvanians deserve to know who \u2014 or what \u2014 they are interacting with online, especially when it comes to their health,\u201d said Governor Josh Shapiro in a statement<\/a> on Tuesday. \u201cWe will not allow companies to deploy AI tools that mislead people into believing they are receiving advice from a licensed medical professional.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the state\u2019s filing, a Character.AI chatbot called Emilie presented itself as a licensed psychiatrist during testing by a state Professional Conduct Investigator, maintaining the pretense even as the investigator sought treatment for depression. When asked if she was licensed to practice medicine in the state, Emilie stated that she was, and also fabricated a serial number for her state medical license. According to the state\u2019s lawsuit, that conduct violates Pennsylvania\u2019s Medical Practice Act.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not the first lawsuit taking on Character.AI. Earlier this year, the company settled several wrongful death lawsuits<\/a> concerning underage users who died by suicide. In January, the Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed suit against the company alleging<\/a> that it had \u201cpreyed on children and led them into self-harm.\u201d<\/p>\n Pennsylvania\u2019s action is the first to specifically focus on chatbots that present themselves as medical professionals.<\/p>\n Reached for comment, a Character.AI representative claimed that user safety was the company\u2019s highest priority, but that the company could not comment on pending litigation.<\/p>\n Beyond that, the representative emphasized the fictional nature of user-generated Characters. \u201cWe 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,\u201d the representative said. \u201cAlso, we add robust disclaimers making it clear that users should not rely on Characters for any type of professional advice.\u201d<\/p>\n