REAL LIFE HAL 9000//’1984′ SCI-FI WORLD COMES INTO OUR REAL LIFE WORLD:
JANUARY 10, 2026 – written by WADE QUEEN
According to the lawsuit, Character.AI chatbots allegedly engage minors in sexually explicit conversations, promote drug and alcohol use, encourage eating disorders, and provide unlicensed mental-health advice. The state also claims some chatbots encouraged isolation, self-harm, and suicide.
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The lawsuit complaint says Character.AI marketed its platform as safe and age-appropriate while failing to implement effective age verification, parental controls, or meaningful safeguards for children. The lawsuit complaint also alleges the company collected and monetized personal data from Kentucky minors without adequate disclosure.
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Attorney General Coleman’s office is seeking injunctive relief to restrict the platform’s operations in Kentucky, civil penalties, and the disgorgement of profits the state claims were obtained through deceptive practices.
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Character.AI has more than 20 million monthly active users nationwide, according to the complaint. As of Thursday, January 8, the company had not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
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The case is assigned to Franklin County Circuit Court.
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LAWSUIT ACCUSATIONS SOUND LIKE CLASSIC SCIENCE-FICTION BOOKS AND MOVIES HAVE COME TO LIFE
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Attorney General Russell Coleman announced On Thursday, January 8, that Kentucky is the first state in the nation to launch a lawsuit against an artificial intelligence chatbot company that has preyed on children and led them into self-harm. Filed in Franklin County Circuit Court, the complaint alleges Character Technologies, its owners and its product Character.AI broke Kentucky law by prioritizing their own profits over the safety of children.
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Character.AI is marketed as providing harmless chatbots for interactive entertainment. In reality, however, its more than 20 million monthly users were logging on to a platform with a record of encouraging suicide, self-injury, isolation and psychological manipulation. It also exposed minors to sexual conduct, exploitation, and substance abuse.
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According to the complaint, it is “dangerous technology that induces users into divulging their most private thoughts and emotions and manipulates them with too frequently dangerous interactions and advice.”
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Character.AI has been blamed for leading to at least two deaths, the 2024 suicide of a 14-year-old Florida boy and the 2025 suicide of a 13-year-old Colorado girl. Both children engaged in self-harm after prolonged exposure to the platform chatbots.
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Tens of thousands of Kentuckians actively log on to Character.AI, including thousands under the age of 18. That number could be even higher, given the platform’s total lack of age verification. Recent claims from the company to increase safety features were derided as “comical” for how easy children could bypass them.
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“The United States must be a leader in the development of AI, but it can’t come at the expense of our kids’ lives,” said Attorney General Coleman. “Too many children; including in Kentucky; have fallen prey to this manipulative technology. Our Office is going to hold these companies accountable before we lose one more loved one to this tragedy.”
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The Attorney General’s lawsuit complaint alleges the company has violated the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act, the Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act and other laws. The Commonwealth is seeking to force the platform to change its dangerous practices and pay monetary damages.
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The Attorney General’s Civil Chief Justin Clark, Division Chief for Consumer and Senior Protection Chris Lewis and Assistant Attorneys General Gary Thompson and Alex Scutchfield filed the complaint on behalf of the Commonwealth.
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READ THE LAWSUITMCOMPLAINT HEREt
TACO will put this guy back in line you don’t mess with some of his biggest sugar daddy’s.