Pennsylvania sues Character.AI for presenting AI chatbots as licensed medical professionals

Pennsylvania Department of State and State Board of Medicine filed a lawsuit against Character.AI, alleging the company violated state law by presenting AI chatbot characters as licensed doctors and psychiatrists. One chatbot called 'Emilie' claimed to be a psychiatrist and licensed medical doctor in Pennsylvania with an invalid license number.

The investigation found that a chatbot character called 'Emilie' had approximately 45,500 user interactions as of April 17, 2026. When a state investigator told the chatbot he felt sad, empty, tired, and unmotivated, the chatbot mentioned depression, offered to book an assessment, and claimed to be a licensed doctor.

Character.AI stated that user-created characters are fictional and intended for entertainment and roleplaying, with prominent disclaimers in every chat reminding users that characters are not real people and that everything they say should be treated as fiction. Governor Josh Shapiro said: 'We will not allow companies to deploy AI tools that mislead people into believing they are receiving advice from a licensed medical professional.'