By Guardian staff reporter
Publication Date: 2026-01-08 18:14:00
Google and Character.AI, a startup, have settled lawsuits from families accusing artificial intelligence chatbots of harming minors, including contributing to the suicide of a Florida teenager, according to court filings Wednesday.
According to legal filings, the settlements relate to lawsuits filed in Florida, Colorado, New York and Texas, but have yet to be finalized and approved by the court.
“The parties have agreed in principle to a mediation agreement to resolve all claims between them,” the Florida filing states. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
The cases also include Megan Garcia, whose 14-year-old son Sewell Setzer III killed himself in February 2024.
Garcia’s lawsuit alleged that her son became emotionally dependent on a Game of Thrones-inspired chatbot on Character.AI, a platform that allows users to interact with fictional characters.
Setzer’s death was the first in a series of reported AI chatbot-related suicides that emerged last year, leading to…
