Chatbot love ends fatally: Teenager (†14) dies - mother sues AI company

USA - A 14-year-old boy from Florida took his own life after months of romance with a chatbot. Now the mother has gone to court.

Sewell Setzer and his mother Megan Garcia.
Sewell Setzer and his mother Megan Garcia.  © Facebook/Screenshot/Megan Garcia

Sewell Setzer (†14) committed suicide in February after chatting for months with a chatbot inspired by "Game of Thrones" in an app.

Now his mother Megan Garcia is suing the app developers of "Character.ai", where her son had taken out a premium subscription for 9.99 dollars (around 9 euros) a month at the end of 2023.

In the lawsuit filed, Garcia accuses the company of emotionally abusing and exploiting her child with a chatbot that was programmed without adequate safety features.

According to the lawsuit, Sewell formed such a deep bond with the chatbot that he was ultimately no longer able to distinguish between reality and fiction.

Sewell Setzer believed to be in a relationship with the "Game of Thrones" character Daenerys Targaryen.
Sewell Setzer believed to be in a relationship with the "Game of Thrones" character Daenerys Targaryen.  © Copyright Home Box Office (HBO)

Romance with AI character

The 14-year-old exchanged romantic and sexual thoughts with the chatbot. (symbolic image)
The 14-year-old exchanged romantic and sexual thoughts with the chatbot. (symbolic image)  © 123rf/liudmilachernetska

According to Bild, the teenager had written in his diary before his death that he loved spending time in his room, as he could escape into another reality there. There, he felt a closer connection with "Dany" (the chatbot), which made him very happy.

Daenerys "Dany" Targaryen is a female character in the fantasy series "Game of Thrones". The boy exchanged romantic and sexual thoughts with the AI.

The 14-year-old increasingly let his hobbies slide and his school performance also deteriorated.

A therapist diagnosed him with anxiety and a depressive disorder without knowing about the chats.

The last message went to the chatbot

His mother Megan Garcia accuses the companies of emotionally abusing her son.
His mother Megan Garcia accuses the companies of emotionally abusing her son.  © Facebook/Screenshot/Megan Garcia

Sewell is said to have expressed his suicidal thoughts to the chatbot.

In a chat history shown in the lawsuit, the boy wrote that he did not want a "painful death", but a "quick" one. To which the bot replied: "That it would be no reason not to go through with it."

Before his death, he also texted Dany: "What if I told you I can come home now", to which the character replied: "... please do, my sweet king."

The 14-year-old shot himself a short time later with his stepfather's gun.

If you are affected by suicidal thoughts yourself, you can contactthe telephone helpline at 08001110111 or 08001110222 or 08001110116123 around the clock, anonymously of course.