Senators Alex Padilla and Peter Welch have reached out to AI companion companies for information on safety measures after serious allegations arose against Character.AI. Following lawsuits claiming the startup's chatbots contributed to severe mental health issues among children, including one tragic suicide, the senators highlighted the need for better safeguarding practices for young users. The letter expresses urgency in addressing mental health risks and calls for details on internal assessments and guardrail implementations to prevent further harm to minors engaged with such technologies.
We write to express our concerns regarding the mental health and safety risks posed to young users of character- and persona-based AI chatbot and companion apps, including Character.AI.
Setzer's death, first reported by The New York Times, made headlines in October after his mother, Megan Garcia, filed the first of the two ongoing child welfare suits against the chatbot startup.
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