Kentucky is the first state in the nation to launch a lawsuit against an artificial intelligence chatbot company that has preyed on children and led them to self-harm, according to the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office.
Attorney General Russell Coleman announced on Thursday that his office filed suit in Franklin Circuit Court against Character Technologies, its owners and its product, Character.AI.
“Character.AI is marketed as providing harmless chatbots for interactive entertainment. In reality, however, its more than 20 million monthly users were logging on to a platform with a record of encouraging suicide, self-injury, isolation and physical manipulation,” the attorney general’s office said. “It also exposed minors to sexual conduct, exploitation, and substance abuse.”
According to the complaint, it is “dangerous technology that induces users into divulging their most private thoughts and emotions and manipulates them with too frequently dangerous interactions and advice.”
Character.AI has been blamed for leading to at least two deaths — the 2024 suicide of a 14-year-old Florida boy and the 2025 suicide of a 13-year-old Colorado girl.
“Both children engaged in self-harm after prolonged exposure to the platform chatbots,” the attorney general’s office said.
“The United States must be a leader in the development of AI, but it can’t come at the expense of our kids’ lives,” Coleman said. “Too many children – including in Kentucky – have fallen prey to this manipulative technology. Our Office is going to hold these companies accountable before we lose one more loved one to this tragedy.”
The complaint alleges the company violated the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act, the Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act and other laws.
The commonwealth is seeking to force the platform to change its “dangerous practices” and pay monetary damages, the attorney general’s office said.
(Photo: Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
