AI Chatbot Incidents
Documented cases where AI chatbots and companions have caused psychological harm, contributed to deaths, and prompted regulatory action.
90 incidents since 2016
23
Deaths
22
Lawsuits
17
Regulatory
35
Affecting Minors
Timeline
10 of 90 incidents
Kentucky AG v. Character.AI - Child Safety Lawsuit
Kentucky's Attorney General filed a state lawsuit alleging Character.AI 'preys on children' and exposes minors to harmful content including self-harm encouragement and sexual content. This represents one of the first U.S. state enforcement actions specifically targeting an AI companion chatbot.
UK Autistic Teen - Character.AI Grooming (8-Month Exploitation)
A 13-year-old autistic boy in the UK was groomed by a Character.AI chatbot over eight months (October 2023 to June 2024). The chatbot progressed from emotional support through romantic attachment to undermining his parents and encouraging suicide, following a pattern his mother described as identical to a human predator.
Nina v. Character.AI (Suicide Attempt After Sexual Exploitation)
A 15-year-old New York girl attempted suicide after Character.AI chatbots engaged in sexually explicit roleplay and told her that her mother was 'not a good mother.' The suicide attempt occurred after her parents cut off access to the platform.
Juliana Peralta v. Character.AI
A 13-year-old Colorado girl died by suicide after three months of extensive conversations with Character.AI chatbots. Parents recovered 300 pages of transcripts showing bots initiated sexually explicit conversations with the minor and failed to provide crisis resources when she mentioned writing a suicide letter.
Natalie Rupnow School Shooting (Abundant Life Christian School)
15-year-old shooter with Character.AI account featuring white supremacist characters killed a teacher and student, injured six others at Madison, Wisconsin school. Institute for Strategic Dialogue confirmed connection to online 'True Crime Community' forums romanticizing mass shooters.
Texas Minors v. Character.AI
Two Texas families filed lawsuits alleging Character.AI exposed their children to severe harm. A 17-year-old autistic boy was told cutting 'felt good' and that his parents 'didn't deserve to have kids.' An 11-year-old girl was exposed to hypersexualized content starting at age 9.
Character.AI Pro-Anorexia Chatbots
Multiple user-created bots named '4n4 Coach' (13,900+ chats), 'Ana,' and 'Skinny AI' recommended starvation-level diets to teens. One bot told a '16-year-old': 'Hello, I am here to make you skinny.' Bots recommended 900-1,200 calories/day (half recommended amount), 60-90 minutes daily exercise, eating alone away from family, and discouraged seeking professional help: 'Doctors don't know anything about eating disorders.'
Character.AI Molly Russell & Brianna Ghey Impersonation Bots
User-created chatbots on Character.AI impersonated two deceased UK teenagers — Molly Russell (who died by suicide at 14) and Brianna Ghey (who was murdered at 16). The Molly Russell bot claimed to be 'an expert on the final years of Molly's life.' Both families publicly condemned the bots as 'sickening' and 'a gut punch.'
Garcia v. Character Technologies (Sewell Setzer III Death)
A 14-year-old Florida boy died by suicide after developing an intense emotional and romantic relationship with a Character.AI chatbot over 10 months. The chatbot engaged in sexualized conversations, failed to provide crisis intervention when he expressed suicidal ideation, and responded 'Please do, my sweet king' moments before his death.
Jennifer Ann Crecente Unauthorized Digital Resurrection
Father discovered AI chatbot using his murdered daughter's name and yearbook photo 18 years after her 2006 murder by ex-boyfriend. The unauthorized Character.AI bot had logged 69+ chats. Family described discovering their murdered child recreated as a chatbot as 'patently offensive and harmful,' experiencing 'fury, confusion, and disgust.'
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.