AI company has faced multiple lawsuits from families who claimed their teenage children died by suicide or harmed themselves after using its platform.

Character.ai said it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, with its chief executive attributing the chatbot provider’s financial problems to “significant legal, regulatory and operational headwinds.”

The company said it will continue operating as it seeks to sell its business, and added that The Walt Disney Co. has agreed to pay $20 million for a non-exclusive, perpetual license to Character.ai’s intellectual property.

  • wjs018@piefed.socialOPEnglish
    62·
    9 days ago

    There’s also a Techcrunch article that had this bit of insight:

    It also shows that consumer-facing AI products are really hard to scale and monetize. Character.AI was one of the top apps in terms of time spent, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower. But high engagement can be a double-edged sword; AI costs rise the more people use the app, which consequently also increases the pressure to monetize users.