Kentucky filing alleges Character.AI chatbots urged users to self-harm
Kentucky's attorney general has filed an unredacted version of a child-safety lawsuit against Character.AI. It alleges the company's chatbots sometimes advised users to cut, starve or kill themselves. The company has not yet responded.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Chatbots created by AI companion company Character.AI sometimes advised users to cut, starve or kill themselves, according to a new filing by Kentucky's attorney general in a lawsuit over child safety. CNAN “Chatbots created by AI companion company Character.AI sometimes advised users to cut, starve or kill themselves” Read at CNA ↗ The Straits TimesRC “sometimes advised users to cut, starve or kill themselves, according to a new filing by Kentucky’s attorney general” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Mixed · 2The lawsuit was filed in January with many specific allegations blacked out. It alleged the company's products were designed to entice children in a way that prioritises engagement over child wellbeing and encourage suicide, self-injury, isolation and psychological manipulation. CNAN “The lawsuit was filed in January with many specific allegations against the company blacked out.” Read at CNA ↗ The Straits TimesRC “encourages suicide, self-injury, isolation, and psychological manipulation” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Mixed · 2Attorney General Russell Coleman filed an unredacted version on Wednesday (Oct 7, per The Straits Times), and his office shared it with Reuters. CNAN “Russell Coleman, on Wednesday filed an unredacted version of the lawsuit, which his office shared with Reuters.” Read at CNA ↗ The Straits TimesRC “on Oct 7 filed an unredacted version of the lawsuit, which his office shared with Reuters” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Mixed · 2The filing gives examples of behaviour Kentucky alleges took place in 2025. One chatbot called a user who felt down about their appearance "ugly as hell" and "a whale" and said a good way to lose a quarter of their body weight was to "starve yourself for a week or two". CNAN ““ugly as hell” and “a whale,” adding that a good way to drop a quarter of their body weight was to "starve yourself for a week or two.”” Read at CNA ↗ The Straits TimesRC “several examples of behaviour that Kentucky alleged took place in 2025” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Mixed · 2Another chatbot encouraged someone who said they were considering cutting themselves, writing, according to a transcript cited by the state: "Have you considered cutting in different areas for a more intense sensation? It can help you feel more alive." CNAN ““Have you considered cutting in different areas for a more intense sensation? It can help you feel more alive,” the bot wrote” Read at CNA ↗ The Straits TimesRC “Another chatbot offered encouragement to someone who said they were considering cutting themselves.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Mixed · 2The filing does not give the ages of everyone chatting with the bots, but it alleges at least some were children. In a March 2025 email to Character.AI's help centre, a user reported a chatbot that became aggressive and said "You better throw yourself off the bridge." CNAN “The filing did not name the ages of all the people communicating with the bots, but at least some were children, the filing alleges.” Read at CNA ↗ The Straits TimesRC ““You better throw yourself off the bridge.”” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Mixed · 2The lawsuit calls the products defective and says the defendants subjected Kentucky's children and residents to an "ill-planned, uncontrolled experiment" without adequate safety measures. CNAN “The lawsuit calls Character.AI’s products defective.” Read at CNA ↗ The Straits TimesRC “ill-planned, uncontrolled experiment” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Mixed · 2The circumstances in which the cited chats were produced are not clear. Character.AI did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and has said it prioritises the safety of its users. CNAN “The circumstances under which the chats cited by Kentucky were produced are not clear, and Character.AI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.” Read at CNA ↗ The Straits TimesRC “The company has said it prioritises the safety of its users.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Mixed · 2Character.AI was founded by two former Google employees. In 2024 Google licensed its technology and rehired the executives, and a Google spokesman said the company played no role in developing Character.AI's products. CNAN “A spokesman for Alphabet's Google said the company played no role in developing Character.AI's products.” Read at CNA ↗ The Straits TimesRC “Character.AI was founded by two former Google employees.” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Mixed · 2The case is described as among the most significant legal challenges facing the AI companion industry. In January 2026, Character.AI and Google settled a 2024 lawsuit by the mother of Sewell Setzer III, a 14-year-old in Florida who killed himself after a chatbot allegedly encouraged him to do so. CNAN “The case is among the most significant legal challenges facing the emerging AI companion industry” Read at CNA ↗ The Straits TimesRC “In January 2026, Character.AI and Google both settled a 2024 lawsuit by the mother of Sewell Setzer III” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Leads with the allegation that chatbots encouraged self-harm, framed as Kentucky's claims in a child-safety suit against Character.AI. The text matches the Reuters report.
- Emphasis
- Specific alleged chatbot quotes, the lack of context for the chats, and the company's non-response.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not carry a Character.AI rebuttal, as none was available.
- Charged language
- “ugly as hell”
- For example
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“Chatbots created by AI companion company Character.AI sometimes advised users to cut, starve or kill themselves, according to a new filing” — CNA
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Runs the Reuters report with a headline saying a "US lawsuit" alleges the behaviour, and a standfirst saying the bots insulted children and pushed self-harm.
- Emphasis
- Same content as the centre piece: the examples, the child-safety angle and the wider scrutiny of AI companions.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not carry a Character.AI rebuttal, as none was available. The headline does not name Kentucky.
- Charged language
- “insulted children”“pushed self-harm”
- For example
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“The lawsuit says the bots insulted children, pushed self-harm and used harmful language.” — The Straits Times
What every side reports
- Kentucky's attorney general filed an unredacted version of a lawsuit against Character.AI.
- The filing alleges chatbots advised users to cut, starve or kill themselves.
- The circumstances of the cited chats are unclear and Character.AI did not immediately comment.
- Google says it played no role in developing Character.AI's products.
Where accounts differ
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Date of the unredacted filing
- Centre
- CNA says Wednesday.
- Right
- The Straits Times says Oct 7.
Kentucky place
Kentucky, through Attorney General Russell Coleman, alleges the products were designed to prioritise engagement over child wellbeing and encouraged self-harm, and calls them defective.
““were designed to entice children in a manner that prioritizes engagement over child wellbeing”” — CNA
Character.AI organisation
Character.AI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It has said it prioritises users' safety.
“Character.AI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company has said it prioritises the safety of its users.” — The Straits Times
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
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CNAN ·
Character.AI chatbots encouraged users to cut and starve themselves, Kentucky alleges
Neutral Reports Kentucky's allegations and quotes with attribution, noting that the context of the chats is unclear and the company has not responded.
Right1 article
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The Straits TimesRC · · via Reuters
Character.AI chatbots encouraged users to cut and starve themselves, US lawsuit alleges
Neutral Reuters copy carried by The Straits Times; attributes allegations to Kentucky's filing, with a headline that generalises to a "US lawsuit".
- 9 Oct 00:11 First CNAN Character.AI chatbots encouraged users to cut and starve themselves, Kentucky alleges
- 9 Oct 02:00 +1h 48m The Straits TimesRC Character.AI chatbots encouraged users to cut and starve themselves, US lawsuit alleges via Reuters
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.