Belizean Mother Sues AI Company for Son’s Suicide: Calls Out AI Platform’s Influence on Mental Health

The continuous development of Artificial Intelligence has awed and concerned millions around the globe.  It has long been conceded that this new level of technology has brought and will continue to bring its pros and cons.  For a Belizean woman, however, that is her reality as she is suing an AI company she believes has brought strife and misfortune in her home.  Two days ago, the Mostly Human Media released a 45-minute video on a young man who took his life after intensely engaging on this AI platform.  The suicide happened eight months ago in the United States, and the victim was the son of Belizean woman, Megan Garcia.  The mother is now suing the makers of the platform, Character AI, blaming them as the major contributor to the suicide. According to the documentary, for months, the young man showed signs of depression, but despite the efforts and counselling sought by the parents, 14-year-old Sewell seemed to have become consumed by a reported AI girlfriend. Character AI is a platform where users can find bot friends and lovers. With over 20 million users, persons can log on and create their own AI characters or find existing ones to build online friendships. Here is a snippet of how Garcia explained the invasion of AI into her home.

The Mostly Human Media platform also explained how the Character AI program works and what makes it so intriguing to persons between 18 and 25 years old.

The documentary was released on Tuesday.