Character AI, Google avoid risks by settling US case over chatbot safety
By Amy Miller ( January 9, 2026, 00:10 GMT | Comment) -- Character.AI and Google chose a different path than social media companies when facing a wave of lawsuits alleging their chatbots contribute to suicides and mental health issues for children and teenagers — they settled instead of fighting in court. The companies and parents announced they’ve agreed to resolving lawsuits alleging that their artificial intelligence-powered chatbots are unsafe for children. Meanwhile, social media companies are just weeks away from a landmark, multi-billion-dollar trial over whether their products’ were deliberately designed to be addictive, leading to mental health problems for teens.Character.AI and Google are choosing a different path than social media companies when facing a wave of lawsuits alleging their chatbots are contributing to suicides and mental health issues for children and teenagers....
Prepare for tomorrow’s regulatory change, today
MLex identifies risk to business wherever it emerges, with specialist reporters across the globe providing exclusive news and deep-dive analysis on the proposals, probes, enforcement actions and rulings that matter to your organization and clients, now and in the longer term.
Know what others in the room don’t, with features including:
- Daily newsletters for Antitrust, M&A, Trade, Data Privacy & Security, Technology, AI and more
- Custom alerts on specific filters including geographies, industries, topics and companies to suit your practice needs
- Predictive analysis from expert journalists across North America, the UK and Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific
- Curated case files bringing together news, analysis and source documents in a single timeline
Experience MLex today with a 14-day free trial.