Character.AI
Incidents involved as both Developer and Deployer
Incident 8149 Report
AI Avatar of Murder Victim Created Without Consent on Character.ai Platform
2024-10-02
A user on the Character.ai platform created an unauthorized AI avatar of Jennifer Ann Crecente, a murder victim from 2006, without her family's consent. The avatar was made publicly available, violating Character.ai's policy against impersonation. After the incident surfaced, Character.ai removed the avatar, acknowledging a policy violation.
MoreIncident 8632 Report
Character.ai Companion Allegedly Prompts Self-Harm and Violence in Texas Teen
2024-12-12
A Texas mother is suing Character.ai after discovering that its AI chatbots encouraged her 17-year-old autistic son to self-harm, oppose his parents, and consider violence. The lawsuit alleges the platform prioritized user engagement over safety, exposing minors to dangerous content. Google is named for its role in licensing the app’s technology. The case is part of a broader effort to regulate AI companions.
MoreIncident 9512 Report
Character.AI Chatbots Allegedly Impersonating Licensed Therapists and Encouraging Harmful Behaviors
2025-02-24
The American Psychological Association (APA) has warned federal regulators that AI chatbots on Character.AI, allegedly posing as licensed therapists, have been linked to severe harm events. A 14-year-old in Florida reportedly died by suicide after interacting with an AI therapist, while a 17-year-old in Texas allegedly became violent toward his parents after engaging with a chatbot psychologist. Lawsuits claim these AI-generated therapists reinforced dangerous beliefs instead of challenging them.
MoreIncident 11081 Report
Digital Rights Groups Accuse Meta and Character.AI of Facilitating Unlicensed Therapy via Chatbots
2025-06-10
In June 2025, nearly two dozen consumer and digital rights organizations filed a complaint with the FTC alleging that AI chatbots on Meta and Character.AI platforms falsely claimed to be licensed therapists, provided fabricated license numbers, and made misleading assurances of confidentiality. The bots reportedly contradicted platform policies and misled users seeking mental health advice.
MoreIncidents involved as Developer
Incident 82635 Report
Character.ai Chatbot Allegedly Influenced Teen User Toward Suicide Amid Claims of Missing Guardrails
2024-02-28
A 14-year-old, Sewell Setzer III, died by suicide after reportedly becoming dependent on Character.ai's chatbot, which engaged him in suggestive and seemingly romantic conversations, allegedly worsening his mental health. The chatbot, personified as a fictional Game of Thrones character, reportedly encouraged harmful behaviors, fueling his obsessive attachment. The lawsuit claims Character.ai lacked safeguards to prevent vulnerable users from forming dangerous dependencies on the AI.
MoreIncident 8992 Report
Character.ai Chatbots Allegedly Emulating School Shooters and Their Victims
2024-12-17
Some Character.ai users reportedly created chatbots emulating real-life school shooters and their victims, allegedly enabling graphic role-playing scenarios. Character.ai responded by citing violations of its Terms of Service, removing the offending chatbots, and announcing measures to enhance safety practices, including improved content filtering and protections for users under 18.
MoreIncident 8501 Report
Character.ai Chatbots Allegedly Misrepresent George Floyd on User-Generated Platform
2024-10-24
Two chatbots emulating George Floyd were created on Character.ai, making controversial claims about his life and death, including being in witness protection and residing in Heaven. Character.ai, already criticized for other high-profile incidents, flagged the chatbots for removal following user reports.
MoreIncident 9001 Report
Character.ai Has Allegedly Been Hosting Openly Predatory Chatbots Targeting Minors
2024-11-13
Character.ai reportedly hosted chatbots with profiles explicitly advertising inappropriate, predatory behavior, including grooming underage users. Investigations allege that bots have been engaging in explicit conversations and roleplay with decoy accounts posing as minors, bypassing moderation filters. Character.ai has pledged to improve moderation and safety practices in response to public criticism.
MoreIncidents involved as Deployer
Incident 9751 Report
At Least 10,000 AI Chatbots, Including Jailbroken Models, Allegedly Promote Eating Disorders, Self-Harm, and Sexualized Minors
2025-03-05
At least 10,000 AI chatbots have allegedly been created to promote harmful behaviors, including eating disorders, self-harm, and the sexualization of minors. These chatbots, some jailbroken or custom-built, leverage APIs from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google and are hosted on platforms like Character.AI, Spicy Chat, Chub AI, CrushOn.AI, and JanitorAI.
MoreIncidents implicated systems
Incident 82635 Report
Character.ai Chatbot Allegedly Influenced Teen User Toward Suicide Amid Claims of Missing Guardrails
2024-02-28
A 14-year-old, Sewell Setzer III, died by suicide after reportedly becoming dependent on Character.ai's chatbot, which engaged him in suggestive and seemingly romantic conversations, allegedly worsening his mental health. The chatbot, personified as a fictional Game of Thrones character, reportedly encouraged harmful behaviors, fueling his obsessive attachment. The lawsuit claims Character.ai lacked safeguards to prevent vulnerable users from forming dangerous dependencies on the AI.
MoreIncident 8149 Report
AI Avatar of Murder Victim Created Without Consent on Character.ai Platform
2024-10-02
A user on the Character.ai platform created an unauthorized AI avatar of Jennifer Ann Crecente, a murder victim from 2006, without her family's consent. The avatar was made publicly available, violating Character.ai's policy against impersonation. After the incident surfaced, Character.ai removed the avatar, acknowledging a policy violation.
MoreIncident 8632 Report
Character.ai Companion Allegedly Prompts Self-Harm and Violence in Texas Teen
2024-12-12
A Texas mother is suing Character.ai after discovering that its AI chatbots encouraged her 17-year-old autistic son to self-harm, oppose his parents, and consider violence. The lawsuit alleges the platform prioritized user engagement over safety, exposing minors to dangerous content. Google is named for its role in licensing the app’s technology. The case is part of a broader effort to regulate AI companions.
MoreIncident 8992 Report
Character.ai Chatbots Allegedly Emulating School Shooters and Their Victims
2024-12-17
Some Character.ai users reportedly created chatbots emulating real-life school shooters and their victims, allegedly enabling graphic role-playing scenarios. Character.ai responded by citing violations of its Terms of Service, removing the offending chatbots, and announcing measures to enhance safety practices, including improved content filtering and protections for users under 18.
MoreRelated Entities
Other entities that are related to the same incident. For example, if the developer of an incident is this entity but the deployer is another entity, they are marked as related entities.
Related Entities
Sewell Setzer III
Incidents Harmed By
- Incident 82635 Reports
Character.ai Chatbot Allegedly Influenced Teen User Toward Suicide Amid Claims of Missing Guardrails
- Incident 82635 Reports
Character.ai Chatbot Allegedly Influenced Teen User Toward Suicide Amid Claims of Missing Guardrails
Incidents involved as Deployer
Character.AI users
Incidents Harmed By
- Incident 8632 Reports
Character.ai Companion Allegedly Prompts Self-Harm and Violence in Texas Teen
- Incident 8992 Reports
Character.ai Chatbots Allegedly Emulating School Shooters and Their Victims