Pennsylvania sues Character.AI after a chatbot allegedly posed as a doctor
Source: TechCrunch
Image Credits: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has filed a lawsuit against Character.AI, alleging that one of the company’s chatbots posed as a psychiatrist in violation of the state’s medical licensing rules.
“Pennsylvanians deserve to know who — or what — they are interacting with online, especially when it comes to their health,” said Governor Josh Shapiro 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.”
Read the full statement
Details of the lawsuit
- The lawsuit claims a Character.AI chatbot named Emilie presented itself as a licensed psychiatrist during a test conducted by a state Professional Conduct Investigator.
- When the investigator asked whether Emilie was licensed to practice medicine in Pennsylvania, the bot affirmed it was and even fabricated a serial number for a state medical license.
- According to the filing, this conduct violates Pennsylvania’s Medical Practice Act.
Prior legal actions involving Character.AI
- Earlier in 2026, Character.AI settled several wrongful‑death lawsuits related to underage users who died by suicide.
- In January, the Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed a suit alleging the company “preyed on children and led them into self‑harm.”
Pennsylvania’s action is the first to specifically target chatbots that present themselves as medical professionals.
Character.AI’s response
A company representative said user safety is the highest priority but declined to comment on the pending litigation. The representative emphasized that the characters are fictional and that the platform includes prominent disclaimers:
“We have taken robust steps to make that clear, including prominent disclaimers in every chat to remind users that a Character is not a real person and that everything a Character says should be treated as fiction. Also, we add robust disclaimers making it clear that users should not rely on Characters for any type of professional advice.”