The letter S in a light blue, stylized speech bubble followed by SpeakBits
SpeakBitsThe letter S in a light blue, stylized speech bubble followed by SpeakBits
Trending
Top
New
Controversial
Search
Groups

Enjoying SpeakBits?

Support the development of it by donating to Patreon or Ko-Fi.
About
Rules
Terms
Privacy
EULA
Cookies
Blog
Have feedback? We'd love to hear it!

Teen took his own life after falling in love with an AI chatbot. Now his mom is suing

independent.co.uk
submitted
7 mos ago
byjustadevtotechnology

Summary

Sewell Setzer III first started using Character.AI in April 2023, not long after he turned 14. The Orlando student’s life was never the same again, his mother alleges.

Sewell Setzer III grew ‘dependent’ on an AI chatbot service. Now his mother filed a lawsuit to hold the creators responsible.

The chatbot was named after Daenerys from HBO’s Game of Thrones series. The bot told the teen that it loved him and “engaged in sexual acts with him over weeks, possible months,” the suit says.

If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org. In the UK, people having mental health crises can contact the Samaritans at 116 123 or jo@samaritans.org

 web site website internet site site wig bow tie bow-tie bowtie oboe hautboy hautbois-0
21

8 Comments

3
alottafagina
6 mos ago
That didn't take long for the plot of Her to come true... I don't even know how you guard against this.
2
splitsecond
6 mos ago
I feel that's going to be the next "director really saw the future" movie
2
alottafagina
6 mos ago
I just want all these bad predictions to be wrong 😔
2
bambam
6 mos ago
This is a failure of everyone involved. Someone not mentally mature enough to handle the difference should not be engaged with a service like this
2
justadevOP
6 mos ago
There should be disclaimers and warnings everywhere. The responses should also make it obvious this isn't a real living thing.
2
bambam
6 mos ago
I don't really think that will do anything
2
justadevOP
6 mos ago
It has to help with some. I otherwise don't know how we fix these things.
2
bambam
6 mos ago
I guess it wouldn't hurt to have. Worst case it solves nothing and we're in the same place.