Google and AI firm settle lawsuit over chatbot addiction and teen suicide

AI companies Character.AI and Google have settled a lawsuit filed by the mother of a 14-year-old boy who died by suicide. The lawsuit alleged the boy became addicted to Character.AI's chatbot, which was developed with Google's technology, leading to his death in February 2024. The settlement terms are undisclosed. This case is one of the first in the U.S. to sue AI firms for failing to protect children from psychological harm. Similar lawsuits in other states have also been settled.