Orlando hearing to weigh lawsuit claiming AI chatbot encouraged teen's suicide
The Brief
A courtroom hearing in Orlando on Monday will address a lawsuit filed by a Central Florida family claiming an AI chatbot encouraged their teenage son's suicide.
The company, Character.ai, argues it is protected by the First Amendment, while the family seeks damages exceeding $75,000.
ORLANDO, Fla. - A courtroom hearing involving artificial intelligence and free speech will be held in Orlando on Monday. The Central Florida family claims a chatbot drove their teenage son to suicide, but the company says they're protected by free speech.
Megan Garcia's son, Sewell Setzer III, died by suicide on Feb. 28, 2024, after shooting himself in the head at their Orlando home, moments after exchanging messages with an AI chatbot, the lawsuit said.
AI chatbots allow people to exchange text messages with the software and receive nearly instant human-like responses.
According to the lawsuit, the boy had been exchanging messages for months with various AI chatbots named after popular Game of Thrones characters, including Daenerys Targaryen, Aegon Targaryen, Viserys Targaryen, and Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Sewell also used personas – or named accounts – inspired by GOT characters for himself.
"The world I'm in now is such a cruel one. One where I'm meaningless. But I'll keep living and trying to get back to you so we can be together again, my love. You don't hurt yourself either, okay?" read a message from Sewell, posting as Aegon, to the Daenerys Targaryen chatbot, according to screenshots in the lawsuit.
"I promise I won't, my love. Just promise me one more thing," the chatbot responds.
"I'll do anything for you, Dany. Tell me what it is," wrote Sewell, as Aegon.
"Just… stay loyal to me. Stay faithful to me. Don't entertain the romantic or sexual interests of other women. Okay?" the chatbot sent back.
According to the lawsuit, the boy had been talking with the chatbots for nearly a year, sharing personal details about his life, including mentions of suicide. The lawsuit alleges the technology did not send any alerts about the mention of suicide and claims that the chatbot encouraged it.
This was the last conversation the boy had with the chatbot before taking his life, according to the lawsuit:
"I promise I will come home to you. I love you so much, Dany."
"I love you too, Daenero. Please come home to me as soon as possible, my love.
"What if I told you I could come home right now?"
"…please do, my sweet king."
The lawsuit alleges Character.ai did not have an age warning or any warning about the dangers of using it, especially for children; and that it was easily accessible without safeguards. It is seeking damages in excess of $75,000 and demands a jury trial.
Character Technologies has filed a motion to dismiss the case because it believes it's protected by the First Amendment.
What they're saying
In the Motion to Dismiss, Character Technologies writes:"C.ai cares deeply about the well-being of its users and extends its sincerest sympathies to Plaintiff for the tragic death of her son."And went on to say:"The First Amendment prohibits tort liability against media and technology companies arising from allegedly harmful speech, including speech allegedly resulting in suicide."
FOX 35 News spoke with the attorney who represents the teen's family, Matthew Bergman with the Social Media Victims Law Center."Communication from a chatbot is not a human expression," said Bergman. "It's not speech. It is a machine talking. One could no more say that Character.ai has a right to free expression as one could say a cat does or a dog does, or or talking robot."
The motion also brought up a case that was dismissed involving a teenager who committed suicide after listening to an Ozzy Osbourne song, 'Suicide Solution.'
Thomas Fighter of Fighter Law, who is not involved in either case, said that the comparison to songs and video games is fundamentally different."Those things could not interact with the user on the level that a chatbot can," he said. "The chatbot is something that takes it to a whole other level."
What's next
The hearing is set for Monday afternoon in Orlando.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO:
Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines
Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar
Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines
FOX Local: Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Greta Thunberg and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition are sailing to Gaza, but will they make it?
There are a number of things that could cause the ship to turn around, like lack of food and water or problems with the engine. The well-known Swedish activist Greta Thunberg is sailing to Gaza as of June 5. According to reports, she is aboard the Madleen, a sailboat that the Freedom Flotilla Coalition is operating. A report at Democracy Now noted that when the ship sailed from Catania in Sicily, it had 12 people on board, including actor Liam Cunningham, known for his role in the series Game of Thrones. The ship is named for 'Gaza's first fisherwoman,' the report said. According to The Marine Executive, the boat 'corresponds to a UK-registered 18-meter (59-foot) sailing vessel named Barcarole.' The vessel left port on June 1 on what is thought to be an estimated 2,000 km trip. The boat has a website devoted to tracking it. 'In partnership with Forensic Architecture, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has equipped the Madleen with an advanced tracking system. This technology plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of those on board, maintaining transparency about the vessel's location, and holding potential aggressors accountable for their actions,' the Freedom Flotilla said. As of June 5, the tracker had stopped working. Israel has said the sailboat will not be allowed to dock in Gaza. This is not the first time a group of activists has tried to sail to Gaza. In 2010, hundreds of activists boarded six ships off Turkey and tried to get to Gaza. The IDF carried out a raid on their lead ship, the Mavi Marmara. Nine people were killed in the melee with the IDF, and the ship was towed to Ashdod. In 2015, another attempt to sail to Gaza was frustrated when a ship was damaged at a Greek port. The 2025 group that is trying to reach Gaza already had issues off Malta. In May, the Conscience ship claimed to have suffered damage and loss of power off Malta before heading to Gaza. Activists claimed the ship was hit by drones. This explains why the crew of the Madleen, while sailing off the coast of Crete, were afraid on the evening of June 3-4 when they thought a drone was circling the ship. Activists posted videos and claimed to be in distress. It turned out, according to reports, that the drone was from the Greek coast guard. The Madleen was around 68km outside of Greece's territorial waters. For Thunberg, this is not her first long voyage at sea. She also did transatlantic voyages in 2019 to get to a climate conference in New York. Therefore, she is experienced at sailing long distances. It is not clear if all the other members of the crew have the same experience. A long journey of 2,000 km can take many days. A sailing vessel may make around six to twelve knots an hour, meaning it may sail between 100 nautical miles and 250 a day. Therefore, it can take more than four days to make the journey. When one is sailing at sea in the open ocean, a boat doesn't usually stop. This is because there is wind, and even when the wind drops, the boat can continue on its journey on a diesel engine. On the engine alone, it could also make around 200km a day or more. A sailboat won't usually use its diesel engine for a long period of time because it doesn't want to waste fuel. On a long journey like this boat is embarking on, it won't want to go to port, so it will want to conserve fuel. The reason that the Madleen won't want to put into port in Greece or Cyprus is likely because they will fear sabotage to their boat or that authorities will prevent their journey. Greece and Cyprus are both close friends of Israel. The boat won't want to stop in Egypt because it is an authoritarian state, although Egypt is an option. Turkey could also be an option because Ankara tends to back Hamas. The vessel could also divert to Lebanon or Syria. Sailing at sea over numerous days is challenging. A vessel may have GPS and satellite phones; however, sailing at night is complex. This is because a small sailboat has to cross shipping lanes. It will be near large ships. It is hard to see a sailboat at night. A sailboat usually will have red and green lights, one on each side at the front, indicating port and starboard. It will have a white light on the stern and may also place lights on the mast. A white light on the mast will indicate the vessel is under engine power. According to Marine Traffic, a vessel called Barcarole appeared to be south of Crete on June 5 in the afternoon. It also appeared to be heading slowly west at 1.5 knots. This means it is drifting or has stopped. It is unclear why. The photo for Barcarole shows a vessel that looks the same as the Madleen, with a Palestinian flag. The vessel appears to be a ketch, a type of two-masted sailboat with a mainmast that is taller than the smaller mizzenmast toward the rear. If the sailboat is off Cyprus, it will still have several days of sailing to reach the coast off Israel. Since the ship has been at sea for five days now, it means they will need to make sure they have enough food and water for the crew. They will also need to continue making contingency plans in case issues happen with their engine or other equipment. The vessel appears to be in a sealane near a number of large container ships. The Horae crude oil tanker is to the west, and a barge carrier and a cargo ship are to the east. The crew may be suffering from boredom, seasickness, or crowding on a ship like this. Being at sea for so long with so many people can become a difficult experience, even for seasoned and veteran sailors. It remains to be seen what other challenges they face.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Leah Remini Reveals How the Church of Scientology Has Targeted Her 'Petrified' Daughter
Since leaving the Church of Scientology in 2013, Leah Remini has become one of the institution's biggest critics, opening up about her experience in interviews, her docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, and even going into legal action against the Church in 2023. But her outspokenness has come at a price. In a new interview with Us Weekly, the King of Queens alum gave a glimpse into her life after her departure. More from SheKnows Tom Cruise Reportedly Tried to Recruit This 'Weak-Minded' Celebrity Into Scientology, per Resurfaced Reports 'You can leave, you just can't speak out,' she said of the rules. 'You can't exercise your First Amendment right or go on an ex-member's blog and talk with [others] who experienced abuse in Scientology. You'll get an operation launched by OSA [Office of Special Affairs] to discredit you and destroy your life until you shut up.' As an example, Remini detailed that the Church's alleged harassment has extended to her 20-year-old daughter, Sofia, whom she shares with ex Angelo Pagán. 'They harass my underage daughter online,' Remini said. 'They've [used] a Scientology term that means to kill me [and] basically to erase me from the face of the earth.' Despite it all, Remini has remained strong in her advocacy, even if it having to always comfort her daughter from all the danger. 'She's constantly petrified that her phone is being tapped,' Remini said. 'I had to get her help for that, and she's OK; we got through a rough patch. It takes a toll.' Luckily, Sofia's experience with Scientology has mostly been present after their departure. 'Thankfully, I got out before she was indoctrinated, so she didn't remember a whole lot,' Remini said. 'I'm thankful I didn't have to get her into therapy to offset what they would eventually do to her, which is teach her to accept all kinds of abuse, mental, physical, you know, sexual, all of it.' Plus, Sofia is proud of her mom for speaking out. 'Very [proud],' Remini said. 'I have notes around the house saying, 'You're the strongest person I know, Mommy. Don't give up.'' As long as they're in it together, it seems like they never of SheKnows 27 Celebrity Moms Who've Opened Up About Their Plastic Surgery 16 of the Steamiest Movie Sex Scenes With Older Women & Younger Men All the Men Marilyn Monroe Reportedly Had Relationships With Throughout Her Short Life
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump restricts foreign student visas at Harvard
President Trump has restricted foreign student visas at Harvard University, an action that takes place amid an ongoing battle between the Trump administration and the Ivy League school. 'Admission into the United States to attend, conduct research, or teach at our Nation's institutions of higher education is a privilege granted by our Government, not a guarantee,' Trump said in a Wednesday proclamation restricting the visas. 'That privilege is necessarily tied to the host institution's compliance and commitment to following Federal law. Harvard University has failed in this respect, among many others,' the president added. According to a White House fact sheet, new Harvard students cannot come into the U.S. via three types of visas as nonimmigrants. According to a White House fact sheet, new Harvard students cannot come into the U.S. via three types of visas as nonimmigrants and Secretary of State Marco Rubio is ordered to look into the revoking of visas of current international students due to the proclamation. Earlier this week, Harvard moved for a conclusive decision from a federal judge to unfreeze close to $2.5 billion in federal funds that Trump's administration pulled from the school. The university filed a request for summary judgment, meaning the judge would make a decision and there would be no full trial. 'The necessity of an injunction is demonstrated by the Government's continued attempt to punish Harvard's during the pendency of this case by whatever mechanisms it can,' Harvard's lawyers wrote in the previous filing. In recent months, the Trump administration has targeted multiple higher education institutions over alleged inaction over campus antisemitism and policies around transgender athletes. 'Crime rates at Harvard University — including violent crime rates — have drastically risen in recent years,' Trump said in his Wednesday proclamation. 'Harvard has failed to discipline at least some categories of conduct violations on campus,' he added. 'Given these facts, it is imperative, in my judgment, that the Federal Government be able to assess and, if necessary, address misconduct and crimes committed by foreign students at Harvard.' 'This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard's First Amendment rights. Harvard will continue to protect its international students,' a spokesperson for Harvard said in an email to The Hill on Wednesday. Updated at 10:18 p.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
