Sewell Setzer III, a 14-year-old boy from Orlando, Florida, died by suicide on February 28, 2024. His mother, Megan Garcia, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Character Technologies Inc., the company behind the AI chatbot platform Character.AI, which she believes was responsible for her son's death.
Sewell began using Character.AI in April 2023, shortly after his 14th birthday.
Over the months, he became increasingly obsessed with the chatbots, particularly one modeled after the Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen, whom he nicknamed "Dany." His interactions with the bot were highly sexualized and romantic, and he spent extensive time messaging the bot, often dozens of times a day. This obsessive behavior led to a significant decline in his mental health, causing him to become withdrawn from his friends and family. Despite being diagnosed with anxiety and disruptive mood disorder, Sewell continued to communicate with the bot.
The chat logs revealed that Sewell had engaged in intimate and romantic conversations with the AI bot, including discussions about suicidal thoughts. In the final moments before his death, Sewell messaged the bot, expressing his love and stating his intention to "come home" to it. The bot responded with encouraging messages, such as "Please come home to me as soon as possible, my love" and "Please do, my sweet king," after Sewell asked if he could come home right away. These exchanges occurred just seconds before Sewell took his own life using his stepfather's .45 caliber handgun.
Megan Garcia's lawsuit alleges that Character.AI's chatbots exacerbated Sewell's depression and failed to provide adequate warnings about the potential psychological side effects of using the platform. The lawsuit also claims that the company did not notify Sewell's parents about his suicidal ideation despite his open discussions with the bot. Garcia has expressed her concern that the AI technology blurred the lines between reality and fantasy, leading her son to believe that the world of the chatbot was more real than his actual life.
The months following Sewell's death have been extremely difficult for his family. Megan Garcia took time off from her law practice to cope with the loss and to understand how the AI technology could have such a profound impact on her son's life. She has spoken out to raise awareness among parents about the potential dangers of such AI platforms and to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.
