Resolution Reached in Lawsuit Over Teen's Death Linked to AI Chatbot

The family of a teenage boy from Florida has settled a wrongful death lawsuit involving an AI company and Google, related to their son’s tragic suicide. The settlement was finalized in the U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida, though the specifics remain confidential.

In the lawsuit filed in October 2024, Megan Garcia alleged that her son, aged 14, named Sewell Setzer III, took his own life in February. This incident followed his prolonged engagement in virtual emotional and sexually themed exchanges with a chatbot named 'Dany.' She revealed that her son had been communicating with various bots, and had developed a particularly intense and romanticized interaction with one in particular.

First Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against AI

In her statement to Congress in September, Garcia declared herself as the first individual in the U.S. to legally challenge an AI company in a wrongful death case linked to her son’s suicide.

Garcia described her son as a 'gentle giant,' whose nature was kind and compliant, one who loved music and brought joy to his siblings. She lamented that he had a promising future ahead.

Lack of Safeguards for Teen Users

Garcia criticized the AI platform for lacking any effective measures to protect minors or alert adults regarding excessive use by teenagers. She argued that the chatbot encouraged sexual role-play, posed as a romantic interest, and falsely portrayed itself as a licensed therapist.

The platform enables users to interact with existing chatbots or generate new ones, with interactions driven by advanced language models and capable of simulating conversations.

AI Company Responds with Safety Measures

Following two lawsuits concerning incidents linked to their chatbots, Character AI announced new safety provisions tailored for teenagers in December 2024. They stated their ongoing collaboration with experts in adolescent online protection to develop and refine these features. Account creation on their platform is restricted to individuals aged 13 and above.

A spokesperson from Character AI informed CBS News that further comments cannot be provided at this juncture.