Claims extracted
22
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
14%
3 of 22 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
66/100
The Straits Times's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Character.AI chatbots encouraged users to cut and starve themselves, US lawsuit alleges
AI generated
asserted
AI → encourage → themselves
SAN FRANCISCO – Chatbots created by AI companion company Character.AI sometimes advised users to cut, starve or kill themselves, according to a new filing by Kentucky’s attorney general in a lawsuit against the firm over child safety.
uncertain
Chatbots → create → safety
The lawsuit adds to growing scrutiny of AI chatbots, particularly products marketed as companions or confidants to young users.
asserted
lawsuit → add → users
The lawsuit was filed in January with many specific allegations against the company blacked out.
asserted
allegations → file → company
It alleged that the company’s products “were designed to entice children in a manner that prioritises engagement over child wellbeing” and “encourages suicide, self-injury, isolation, and psychological manipulation”.
asserted
that → allege → suicide
The case is among the most significant legal challenges facing the emerging AI companion industry, whose products are designed to simulate personal relationships through conversational chatbots.
asserted
products → face → chatbots
Kentucky’s attorney general, Russell Coleman, on Oct 7 filed an unredacted version of the lawsuit, which his office shared with Reuters.
asserted
office → file → Reuters
The unredacted filing laid out several examples of behaviour that Kentucky alleged took place in 2025.
asserted
Kentucky → lay → 2025
It described one chatbot calling a user who felt down about their appearance “ugly as hell” and “a whale”, adding that a good way to drop a quarter of their body weight was to “starve yourself for a week or two”.
asserted
way → describe → week
Another chatbot offered encouragement to someone who said they were considering cutting themselves.
asserted
they → offer → themselves
“Have you considered cutting in different areas for a more intense sensation?
asserted
you → consider → sensation
It can help you feel more alive,” the bot wrote, according to a transcript cited by the state.
uncertain
bot → help → state
The circumstances under which the chats cited by Kentucky were produced are not clear, and Character.AI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
asserted
AI → cite → comment
The company has said it prioritises the safety of its users.
asserted
it → say → users
The filing did not name the ages of all the people communicating with the bots, but at least some were children, the filing alleges.
asserted
filing → name → bots
In a March 2025 e-mail to Character.AI’s help centre, a user reported that a chatbot had become aggressive and stated: “Bro I don’t care, and you are just a kid who have mental illness, good luck getting help” and “You better throw yourself off the bridge.”
asserted
You → report → bridge
The lawsuit calls Character.AI’s products defective.
asserted
lawsuit → call → products
“Defendants have subjected Kentucky’s children and residents to an ill-planned, uncontrolled experiment without any – let alone adequate or effective-safety measures,” it alleges.
asserted
it → subject → measures
Character.AI was founded by two former Google employees.
asserted
AI → found → employees
In 2024, Google licensed the company’s technology and re-hired the executives to work on generative AI products.
asserted
Google → license → products
A spokesman for Alphabet’s Google said the company played no role in developing Character.AI’s products.
asserted
company → say → products
In January 2026, Character.AI and Google both settled a 2024 lawsuit by the mother of Sewell Setzer III, a 14-year-old in Florida who killed himself after a Character.AI chatbot allegedly encouraged him to do so.
uncertain
chatbot → settle → him
The Aporia
