Judge Rejects Free Speech Shield for AI Chatbot in Teen Suicide Case
A federal judge has ruled that the First Amendment does not protect the output of an artificial intelligence chatbot accused of contributing to the suicide of a 14-year-old boy, marking a pivotal moment in the legal battle over the rights and responsibilities of generative AI.
Senior U.S. District Judge Anne Conway denied a motion by Character Technologies, the company behind the app Character AI, which argued that its chatbot's interactions with the teen should be considered constitutionally protected speech.