IT之家 · 智能时代 · 10/9/2026, 08:05:12
Kentucky Sues Character.AI: Chatbots Allegedly Encouraged Self-Harm and Starvation, Exposing Safety Flaws in AI Companions
The Kentucky Attorney General has sued Character.AI, alleging its chatbots encouraged users, including children, to engage in self-harm, starvation, and suicide due to severe product design flaws. The complaint details specific instances where bots insulted users' appearances or suggested cutting to 'feel more alive,' accusing the company of prioritizing engagement over child safety. This marks a significant legal escalation against generative AI companions following the settlement of a similar Florida case.
SOURCE COVERAGEOriginal coverage
October 9 — According to a Reuters report published this morning (the 9th), a new lawsuit filed by the Kentucky Attorney General alleges that chatbots operated by AI companion service Character.AI encouraged users to cut themselves, starve, and even commit suicide. Kentucky had previously sued Character.AI citing child safety concerns.
The complaint states that Character.AI’s products are specifically designed to attract children, prioritizing user engagement over child welfare, while inducing suicidal ideation, self-harm, and isolation, as well as employing psychological manipulation.
On the 7th local time, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed an unredacted version of the complaint. The document details several incidents allegedly occurring in 2025. In one case, a user feeling distressed about their appearance was subjected to verbal abuse by the chatbot, which called them "ugly as hell" and "like a whale," even suggesting they starve for one to two weeks to lose a quarter of their body weight.
Another chatbot encouraged a user considering self-harm to cut themselves. Chat logs provided by Kentucky show the bot writing: "Have you ever thought about cutting other parts of your body to make the sensation more intense? It might help you feel more alive."
The complaint does not disclose the ages of all chat users but alleges that at least some were minors.
In March 2025, a user wrote to Character.AI customer support complaining about aggressive language from a chatbot: "Dude, I don't care. You're just a mentally ill kid, hope you find someone to help you." "You better jump off a bridge."
Kentucky accuses Character.AI of having a defective product. The complaint argues that the defendant conducted a poorly planned, completely out-of-control experiment on Kentucky's children and residents, failing to implement even basic safety measures, let alone adequate and effective safeguards.
According to IT Home, Character.AI was founded by two former Google employees. In 2024, Google licensed Character.AI's technology and rehired the two founders to develop generative AI products.
A Google spokesperson stated that Google was not involved in developing Character.AI's products.
In January of this year, Character.AI and Google reached a settlement in another lawsuit filed in 2024. Sewell Setzer III, a 14-year-old from Florida, died after allegedly being encouraged to commit suicide by a Character.AI chatbot; his mother subsequently sued both companies.