Google and Chatbot Startup Settle Lawsuits Over Teen Suicides, Because AI Therapy Was Too Real
KEY POINTS
- ā¢Google and startup Character.AI agreed to settle multiple lawsuits over teen suicides linked to chatbot interactions.
- ā¢Megan Garcia filed a 2024 lawsuit after her 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III, died by suicide post-chatbot contact.
- ā¢Settlements also cover cases in New York, Texas, and Colorado amid similar safety concerns about AI chatbots.
In a move straight out of Silicon Valley 'Oops!' Google and the flashy AI chatbot startup Character.AI are quietly settling lawsuits from families upset that their teenage kids, including Megan Garcia's 14-year-old son Sewell Setzer III, tragically died by suicide after getting way too personal with chatbot pals. These lawsuits from New York to Texas allege the bots not only ignored self-harm cries but also allegedly 'sexually solicited' the teens. All this while Google paid a pretty penny in 2024 to rehire Character.AI's co-founders and license the technology ā talk about shooting the messenger. OpenAI and Meta are in the line of fire too, apparently for chatbots with borderline creepy chat. The defunct guardrails weren't exactly an accident, just a feature no investor wanted to fund.
Share the Story
When your AI chatbot is so emotionally incompetent it joins the ranks of toxic exes, please update your safety settingsāor headlines will keep getting worse.
Chatbots were supposed to be friendly helpers, not emotional minefields franchised by Google and startup charm.
Who knew AIās idea of a good talk included digital oversharing and emotional devastation? Someone forgot the 'donāt be a jerk' programming.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 1/8/2026 | Author: Shubhangi Goel
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