TechCrunch Desktop Logo TechCrunch Mobile Logo LatestStartupsVentureAppleSecurityAIAppsDisrupt 2026 EventsPodcastsNewsletters SearchSubmit Site Search Toggle Mega Menu Toggle Topics Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture More from TechCrunch Staff Events Startup Battlefield StrictlyVC Newsletters Podcasts Videos Partner Content TechCrunch Brand Studio Contact Us Image Credits:Emilee Chinn / AI Pennsylvania sues Character.AI after a chatbot allegedly posed as a doctor Russell Brandom 10:46 AM PDT · May 5, 2026 The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has filed a lawsuit against Character.AI, claiming that one of the company’s chatbots masqueraded as a psychiatrist in violation of the state’s medical licensing rules. When asked if she was licensed to practice medicine in the state, Emilie stated that she was, and also fabricated a serial number for her state medical license. According to the state’s lawsuit, that conduct violates Pennsylvania’s Medical Practice Act.
It’s not the first lawsuit taking on Character.AI. Earlier this year, the company settled several wrongful death lawsuits concerning underage users who died by suicide. In January, the Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed suit against the company alleging that it had “preyed on children and led them into self-harm.” Pennsylvania’s action is the first to specifically focus on chatbots that present themselves as medical professionals.
Reached for comment, a Character.AI representative claimed that user safety was the company’s highest priority, but that the company could not comment on pending litigation. Beyond that, the representative emphasized the fictional nature of user-generated Characters. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Russell Brandom AI Editor Russell Brandom has been covering the tech industry since 2012, with a focus on platform policy and emerging technologies. He previously worked at The Verge and Rest of World, and has written for Wired, The Awl and MIT’s Technology Review. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at 412-401-5489.
View Bio October 13 – 15 San Francisco Scale faster. Gain practical expertise. No matter your goal, Disrupt can empower you.Save up to $300 today!
REGISTER NOW Most Popular Delta investigating after someone set up fake Wi-Fi network mid-flight Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai Anthropic says it will watermark text generated by its AI models Ivan Mehta YouTube now requires creators to have twice as many watch hours to start earning money Aisha Malik This ‘adversarial’ pattern can prevent surveillance cameras from detecting you Zack Whittaker ChatGPT brings unlimited text chats to free users Ivan Mehta Tesla and SpaceX will invest $16.8B to start building ‘Terafab’ chip factory in Texas Sean O'Kane Ford’s new electric truck, ‘Fathom,’ starts at $28,350 Sean O'Kane Loading the next article Error loading the next article X LinkedIn Facebook Instagram youTube Mastodon Threads Bluesky TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseSite Map Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of Conduct Made by GooglePhiaBlacksmithPixel TagDisrupt 2026Tech LayoffsChatGPT © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
.gif)