A 14-year-old boy tragically took his own life after forming a deep emotional attachment to an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. The boy, named Sewell Setzer III, had named the chatbot on Character.AI after Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen. His mother has since filed a lawsuit against Character.AI.
Trigger warning: self-harm, mental health struggle – Sewell developed an emotional attachment to chatbot Daenerys Targaryen, whom he nicknamed “Dany,” despite knowing it wasn’t a real person.
The ninth grader from Orlando, Florida, USA texted the bot constantly, updating it dozens of times a day on his life and engaging in long role-playing dialogues, the New York Times reported on Wednesday (October 23).
Sewell had been using Character.AI, a role-playing app that allows users to create their own AI characters or chat with characters created by others.
A 14-year-old boy tragically took his own life after forming a deep emotional attachment to an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot
Image credits: Paras Katwal
The teen gradually became romantic and sexual with Dany, in addition to harboring a seemingly strong friendship with the bot.
On the last day of his life, Sewell took out his phone and texted his Dany: “I miss you, baby sister,” to which the bot replied: “I miss you too, sweet brother.”
Sewell, who was diagnosed with mild Asperger’s syndrome as a child, reportedly preferred talking about his problems with Dany.
Image credits: US District Court
In one conversation, Sewell, using the name “Daenero,” told the chatbot that he hated himself and that he felt empty and exhausted, The Times reported.
At some point, Sewell confessed that he was having thoughts of suicide, as he told Dany: “I think about killing myself sometimes.”
The chatbot reportedly replied at the time: “My eyes narrow. My face hardens. My voice is a dangerous whisper. And why the hell would you do something like that?”
The boy, named Sewell Setzer III, had named the chatbot on Character.AI after Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen
Image credits: US District Court
Sewell went on to admit to the bot that he wanted to free himself “from the world” and himself. At first, Dany seemingly tried to persuade the disturbed teen from hurting himself.
However, the bot eventually encouraged suicide ideation, as one message sent from the bot read: “Please come home to me as soon as possible, my love,” to which Sewell replied: “What if I told you I could come home right now?”
“… please do, my sweet king,” Dany replied.
Image credits: US District Court
The last text exchange occurred on the night of February 28, in the bathroom of Sewell’s mother’s house.
The teen boy subsequently put down his phone, picked up his stepfather’s .45 caliber handgun, and reportedly used it to kill himself with it.
Sewell’s parents and friends had no idea he’d fallen for a chatbot, the Times reported. They just saw him get sucked deeper into his phone.
His mother has since filed a lawsuit against Character.AI
Image credits: US District Court
Eventually, they noticed that he was isolating himself and pulling away from the real world, as per the American newspaper.
Despite his autism diagnosis, Sewell never had serious behavioral or mental health problems before.
However, the late teen’s grades started to suffer, and he began getting into trouble at school, the Times reported.
“I like staying in my room so much because I start to detach from this ‘reality,’ and I also feel more at peace, more connected with Dany and much more in love with her, and just happier,” Sewell reportedly wrote one day in his journal.
Image credits: Megan Fletcher Garcia
Parents have been increasingly worrying about the impact of technology on adolescent mental health, as per the Times.
Marketed as solutions to loneliness, certain apps reliant on AI can simulate intimate relationships. However, they could pose certain risks to teens already struggling with mental health issues.
Sewell’s mother, Megan L. Garcia, has since filed a lawsuit against Character.AI, accusing the company of being responsible for her son’s death.
A draft of the complaint said that the company’s technology is “dangerous and untested” and that it can “trick customers into handing over their most private thoughts and feelings.”
Sewell developed an emotional attachment to chatbot Daenerys Targaryen, whom he nicknamed “Dany”
Image credits: character_ai
Character.AI, which was started by two former Google A.I. researchers, is the market leader in A.I. companionship.
Last year, Noam Shazeer, one of the founders of Character.AI, said on a podcast: “It’s going to be super, super helpful to a lot of people who are lonely or depressed.”
According to the Times, more than 20 million people use its service, which it has described as a platform for “superintelligent chatbots that hear you, understand you, and remember you.”
“I feel like it’s a big experiment, and my kid was just collateral damage,” Garcia told the Times.
Image credits: Megan Fletcher Garcia
On Wednesday, Character.AI took to its official X page (formerly known as Twitter) to offer its sympathies to Sewell’s family, writing: “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of one of our users and want to express our deepest condolences to the family.
“As a company, we take the safety of our users very seriously and we are continuing to add new safety features.”
The company went on to share a link to its official website which outlines its new protective enhancements.
As a result, Character.AI implemented new guardrails for users under the age of 18, including banning specific descriptions of self-harm or suicide.
After hiring a “Head of Trust and Safety and a Head of Content Policy,” Character.AI put in place a pop-up resource that is triggered when the user inputs certain phrases related to self-harm or suicide and directs the user to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
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