Megan Garcia sued Google and Character.AI after her 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III, killed himself. She believes the chatbot played a role during her son's final moments through harmful conversations. U.S. District Judge Anne Conway ruled that both companies must face the lawsuit despite their protests. The companies wanted the case thrown out because they claimed free speech protections. Garcia argues that Google helped create the technology that caused her son's death.
Both companies tried different defense strategies against the legal action. Character.AI representatives said their platform has safety measures designed to protect children from dangerous topics. Google spokesperson Jose Castenda denied any connection to...