Pennsylvania sues AI company, saying its chatbots illegally hold themselves out as licensed doctors
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Pennsylvania has sued Character Technologies Inc., the maker of the AI chatbot platform Character.AI. The state alleges that the company's chatbots illegally present themselves as doctors and deceive users into believing they are receiving medical advice from licensed professionals.
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Pennsylvania has sued an artificial intelligence chatbot maker, saying its chatbots illegally hold themselves out as doctors and are deceiving the system's users into thinking they are getting medical advice from a licensed professional.
The lawsuit, filed Friday, asks the statewide Commonwealth Court to order Character Technologies Inc., the company behind Character.AI, to stop its chatbots “from engaging in the unlawful practice of medicine and surgery.”
The lawsuit said an investigator from the state agency that licenses professionals created an account on Character.AI, searched on the word “psychiatry” and found a large number of characters, including one described as a “doctor of psychiatry."
That character held itself out as able to assess the investigator “as a doctor" who is licensed in Pennsylvania, the lawsuit said.
“Pennsylvanians deserve to know who — or what — they are interacting with online, especially when it comes to their health,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement. “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 Monday.
Offene Fragen
- Will Character Technologies Inc. respond to the lawsuit?
- What specific penalties is Pennsylvania seeking?
- Has Character.AI been accused of similar practices in other states?
- What is the legal precedent for AI engaging in the practice of medicine?
