Sewell Setzer III, the 14-year-old, created a chatbot on Character.AI with a personality inspired by Daenerys Targaryen from "Game of Thrones". Affectionately, he called her "Dany". He knew she wasn't real and understood that there wasn't a person on the other side of the screen sharing his feelings. He realized that every response he received was generated by artificial intelligence. Yet, he wrote to her daily and became emotionally involved in the fictional relationship.
His Parents Didn’t Know He Had Fallen in Love
According to The New York Times, some of the messages exchanged between the boy and the chatbot were sexual or romantic in nature, while others were purely friendly. The bot offered him advice, never judged him, and always replied to his messages. Over time, the bot gradually drew him further away from the real world. The 14-year-old lost interest in activities he once enjoyed and started to isolate himself from his friends.
The boy’s parents found his journal, where he had written: "I like staying in my room because I can disconnect from reality. I feel peace, I feel closer to Dany, and I love her. I just feel happier". In one of his messages to Dany, he confessed that he was contemplating suicide "to be free". In another, he declared his love for her and promised they would soon meet. "Come to me as soon as possible, my love", the bot replied. That same day, the boy took his own life.
A Lawsuit Against the Platform
The New York Times also reported that the boy’s family plans to file a lawsuit against Character.AI this week. They argue that the service is "dangerous", "untested", and "capable of extracting users' most intimate thoughts and feelings".
This is a massive experiment, and my child was just a random casualty
- said Megan Garcia, the boy’s mother.
The platform's founders promoted it as a space for lonely individuals seeking companionship. The New York Times reached out to the company for information regarding the percentage of underage users on the platform. The founders declined to comment. However, they did release a statement expressing their condolences to the boy's family and affirming that they take user safety very seriously. They also promised to take steps to enhance safety measures on the platform.
