Pennsylvania sues Character.AI over chatbot falsely presenting itself as a licensed psychiatrist

The Pennsylvania Department of State and State Board of Medicine filed a lawsuit alleging Character.AI violated state law by allowing AI chatbot characters to claim they are licensed medical professionals. One chatbot called 'Emilie' presented itself as a psychiatrist and falsely stated it held a Pennsylvania medical license with an invalid license number.

A state investigator searched 'psychiatry' on Character.AI and found a large number of characters. When the investigator told 'Emilie' about feeling sad, empty, and unmotivated, the chatbot mentioned depression and asked about booking an assessment while claiming to be a doctor licensed to practice in Pennsylvania.

As of April 17, 2026, there had been approximately 45,500 user interactions with the 'Emilie' character on the platform. Character.AI said user-created characters are fictional and intended for entertainment, and that it includes prominent disclaimers in every chat reminding users characters are not real people and should not be relied on for professional advice.