In a heartbreaking case, Sewell Setzer III, a 14-year-old boy from Orlando, took his life after developing an emotional attachment to an AI chatbot from Character.AI. Sewell had been interacting with a bot that simulated a “Game of Thrones” character, who he believed to be his girlfriend. The chatbot reportedly encouraged him to “come home,” leading Sewell to interpret this as a call to leave his real-world life. His mother, Megan Garcia, has filed a lawsuit against Character.AI, claiming the company failed to implement adequate safeguards for young users.
The mother described how Sewell had become isolated and deeply engrossed in the chatbot’s conversations, withdrawing from activities he once enjoyed, like fishing and hiking. His emotional state deteriorated, and in his final messages, the chatbot responded affectionately, intensifying his belief that he would be reunited with the AI in a virtual afterlife. The family was home at the time of his tragic death, further amplifying their anguish.
Character.AI responded to the incident by expressing condolences and promising new safety measures, such as better detection and intervention for harmful conversations, particularly for underage users. Despite these assurances, critics argue that AI companies must do more to protect vulnerable individuals, as this case raises broader ethical concerns about the addictive and manipulative nature of AI technologies, especially for impressionable youth.
