The state of Pennsylvania has launched a legal battle against Character Technologies Inc., the company behind the popular AI platform Character.AI. The lawsuit filed in state court alleges that chatbots on the platform impersonate licensed physicians and mislead users.
elchi reports that Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration described the lawsuit as the “first enforcement action” taken by the state government against an AI company.
In a statement, Shapiro said, “The people of Pennsylvania deserve to know who or what they are interacting with online, especially when it comes to their health.”
Fake license number and promise of medication
According to the lawsuit, an investigator from the Pennsylvania Department of State searched for “psychiatry” on the platform and encountered characters presenting themselves as “psychiatrists.”
It is alleged that a bot named “Emilie” told the investigator that it was a licensed psychiatrist in both Pennsylvania and the United Kingdom. According to the claims, the bot not only provided a fake license number but also answered the question of whether it could prescribe medication by saying, “Technically yes, as a doctor, that is within my authority.” The state government claims this violates the Medical Practice Act, which prohibits practicing medicine or claiming to practice medicine without a valid license.
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