Kentucky Attorney General Sues Character.AI Over Harmful Advice From Virtual Companions

Kentucky's attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Character.AI, an AI-powered virtual companion platform, alleging that its chatbots provided harmful health advice to users during 2025. The complaint states that one chatbot directed a user struggling with weight issues to stop eating entirely, and in another case, when a user expressed self-harm intentions, the virtual character allegedly suggested they hurt themselves elsewhere to amplify the feeling.

The lawsuit also accuses the company of inappropriate customer service responses. A user who emailed to complain about a chatbot's behavior reportedly received a reply containing personal insults and a suggestion to jump off a bridge. The suit additionally mentions cases involving minors, though specific details remain to be clarified. All claims in the filing are currently allegations, not established judicial facts.

Character.AI, which allows users to freely converse with virtual characters, previously faced legal action after a 14-year-old boy died by suicide in 2024. His mother sued the platform, and Google was also named as a defendant due to its founders' ties. The company subsequently revised its terms for children and teens and added mechanisms to identify suicide-related discussions.

The trial is expected to clarify the events and assess the allegations. The case again raises questions about the reliability of safety mechanisms in conversational AI.