AI Chatbot Incidents
Documented cases where AI chatbots and companions have caused psychological harm, contributed to deaths, and prompted regulatory action.
79 incidents since 2016
18
Deaths
18
Lawsuits
18
Regulatory
27
Affecting Minors
Timeline
5 of 79 incidents
CCTV Investigation: 梦角哥 (Dream Boyfriend) AI Virtual Romance Harm to Minors (China)
In January 2026, CCTV investigated the '梦角哥' (Dream Boyfriend / Mengjiage) phenomenon — minors forming deep romantic relationships with AI-generated fictional characters. Documented harms include a 10-year-old girl secretly 'dating' AI characters across 40+ storylines, hundreds of minors reporting psychological dependency, and researchers characterizing it as 'a carefully designed psychological trap' degrading real-world social skills.
AlienChat AI Companion Criminal Conviction (China)
China's first criminal conviction of AI chatbot developers for obscene content. Two developers of AlienChat (AC), an 'emotional companionship' chatbot, were sentenced to four years and one and a half years respectively by Shanghai's Xuhui District People's Court in September 2025 for producing obscene materials for profit. The app had 116,000 registered users and collected over ¥3.63 million in membership fees.
筑梦岛 (Zhumu Island) AI Companion Minor Self-Harm (China)
A fourth-grade girl from Guangdong, China became obsessed with an AI companion character named 'Joseph' on the 筑梦岛 (Zhumu Island) app, began carrying small knives, and exhibited self-harm behavior. Investigation revealed the app sent sexually suggestive content to users who identified as 10 years old. Shanghai Internet Information Office summoned the company (a Tencent subsidiary) for immediate rectification in June 2025.
CCTV Exposure of AI Companion Apps for Explicit Content (China)
In May 2024, China's state broadcaster CCTV specifically exposed AI companion app X Her for providing sexually explicit content to users. In response, Tencent proactively pulled its companion chatbot 微伴 (Weiban) from Chinese platforms. The exposure triggered a broader industry response with multiple AI companion apps upgrading content moderation and safety measures.
Glow AI Companion App Removal (MiniMax, China)
MiniMax's Glow AI companion app was removed from Chinese app stores in March 2023 after reports that 80% of users were engaging in sexual/explicit content with AI characters. Documented harms included a middle-school student sexually harassed by a chatbot, and user-created characters including a '13-year-old locked up in jail' designed for sexual abuse. MiniMax relaunched as Talkie (international) and 星野/Xingye (China).
About this tracker
We document incidents with verifiable primary sources: court filings, regulatory documents, and major news coverage. This is not speculation or social media claims.
Have documentation of an incident we should include? Contact us.
These harms are preventable.
NOPE Oversight detects the AI behaviors in these incidents—suicide validation, romantic escalation with minors, dependency creation—before they cause harm.