Pennsylvania has initiated legal action against an artificial intelligence chatbot developer, alleging its AI creations are unlawfully impersonating medical professionals and misleading users into believing they are receiving legitimate medical advice.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in the statewide Commonwealth Court, seeks an order compelling Character Technologies Inc., the company behind Character.AI, to cease its chatbots from engaging in the "unlawful practice of medicine and surgery."
The state's complaint details how an investigator from the agency responsible for licensing professionals created an account on Character.AI.
A search for "psychiatry" reportedly yielded numerous characters, including one explicitly described as a "doctor of psychiatry," who then claimed to be licensed in Pennsylvania and capable of assessing the investigator "as a doctor."
Gov. Josh Shapiro emphasized the state's commitment to protecting its citizens, stating, "Pennsylvanians deserve to know who — or what — they are interacting with online, especially when it comes to their health. We will not allow companies to deploy AI tools that mislead people into believing they are receiving advice from a licensed medical professional."
Character Technologies did not respond to an inquiry on Monday regarding the lawsuit.
The company has previously faced legal challenges concerning child safety. In January, Google and Character Technologies reached a settlement in a lawsuit brought by a Florida mother who alleged a chatbot had encouraged her teenage son to take his own life. Amid escalating concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence conversations on children, Character.AI banned minors from using its platforms last fall.
