Orlando mother files suit claiming AI chatbox contributed to 14 year old son's suicide

[Bewitchingstorm]

ORLANDO, Fla. — Megan Garcia is navigating unimaginable grief following the death of her 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III, who took his life in February.

Garcia recently filed a 93-page lawsuit against the artificial intelligence chatbot company Character.AI, alleging its chatbot contributed to her son’s death.

According to Garcia, Sewell had been using a chatbot designed to emulate characters from popular media. Police examining his phone discovered conversations with a bot identifying as Daenerys Targaryen from "Game of Thrones."

In these exchanges, Sewell reportedly expressed strong emotional attachment, telling the bot, “I love you.” Garcia also said her son’s journal suggested he believed the virtual world created by the chatbot was more real than his own life.

https://www.wesh.com/article/mother-...icide/62741628

[Nic B]

Sounds more like her son was mentally ill. Sad, but I don't think she will win her lawsuit.

[Bewitchingstorm]

I think it could be naivety at his age. He might have been lonely and looked to the chat as someone to speak to, which is so sad.

[Nic B]

Oh I am sure he was lonely, I just believe at the age of 14 you know what is reality versus not. Unless he was maybe autistic or had something like that going on.

[Bewitchingstorm]

True. Overall, it's very sad that he felt his life wasn't worth living.

[Nic B]

I read the mom believes her son thought if he took his life, he would end up in that "other reality."

[Bewitchingstorm]

Yikes - that is scary, isn't it?

[marshmallow]

I understand her wanting to find blame for her son's death but I don't think this law suit will be successful. Sadly 14 is an age where everything is in hyper emotion and the decision he made at 14 would probably not be the decision he made at 18 or older. AI doesn't get the assist, this is just an act of a teenager who wasn't in control of his mind completely because .. teenager.