After Teen Suicide, Character.AI Lawsuit Raises Questions Over Free Speech Protections - The New York Times

A mother in Florida filed a lawsuit against an A.I. start-up, alleging its product led to her son’s death. The company’s defense raises a thorny legal question. By Jesse Barron Last February, Megan Garcia was putting her second-youngest son to bed when she heard what sounded like a mirror falling. She rushed down the hallway to the bathroom where her eldest son, Sewell, was taking a shower. Her husband, Alexander, was already standing in front of the locked door. “Sewell?” he called. “Sewell?” But there was no answer. From outside the bathroom, they heard the shower still running. Megan stuck the tip of a comb into the pinhole in the door handle and it opened. Sewell was lying facedown in the bathtub, his feet hanging over the edge. Megan thought, Drugs. She knew that kids would sometimes take inhalants, or fentanyl-laced pills, and she knew they could use Snapchat to connect with dealers. It was one reason she lectured Sewell so harshly about social media. Bending over the tub, Megan

A mother in Florida filed a lawsuit against an A.I. start-up, alleging its product led to her son’s death. The company’s defense raises a thorny legal question. By Jesse Barron Last February, Megan Garcia was putting her second-youngest son to bed when she heard what sounded like a mirror falling. She rushed down the hallway to the bathroom where her eldest son, Sewell, was taking a shower. Her husband, Alexander, was already standing in front of the locked door. “Sewell?” he called. “Sewell?” But there was no answer. From outside the bathroom, they heard the shower still running. Megan stuck