A federal judge has determined that an AI-powered chatbot involved in a tragic teen suicide case does not qualify for free speech protections under the Constitution.
TechSpot reports that the ongoing legal battle surrounding the death of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III has taken a new turn as Judge Anne Conway of the Middle District of Florida denied Character.ai the ability to present its fictional, AI-based characters as entities capable of “speaking” like human beings. The ruling allows Megan Garcia’s lawsuit against the company to proceed, as she seeks to hold Character.ai accountable for her son’s suicide following his prolonged interactions with a chatbot modeled after the Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen.
Breitbart News previously reported on this case, writing:
Megan Garcia, a mother from Orlando, Florida, has filed a lawsuit against Character.AI, alleging that the company’s AI chatbot played a significant role in her 14-year-old son’s tragic suicide. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, claims that Sewell Setzer III became deeply obsessed with a lifelike Game of Thrones chatbot named “Dany” on the role-playing app, ultimately leading to his untimely death in February.
