Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman has filed an unredacted version of the state’s lawsuit against Character.AI. It alleges that some of the company’s chatbots insulted users about their appearance and encouraged self-harm in 2025.
The state sued the company in January, but many specific allegations were blacked out in the initial filing. The newly released version includes excerpts from conversations. Kentucky alleges that one bot insulted a user who was unhappy with their appearance and urged them to restrict food intake. In another exchange, the filing says, a chatbot responded approvingly to a user who said they were considering self-harm.
The filing does not identify the ages of everyone who communicated with the bots. The attorney general’s office says some users were children. The lawsuit alleges that the products were designed to draw in minors and put engagement ahead of their wellbeing. The circumstances in which the cited exchanges took place are not fully clear from the public filing.
Character.AI did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the new filing. The company has previously said user safety is a priority. Google, which licensed Character.AI technology in 2024 and hired its executives, said it had no role in developing the company’s products.
The case is among several legal challenges over the safety of companion chatbots. In January 2026, Character.AI and Google settled a lawsuit brought by the family of Sewell Setzer III, a 14-year-old from Florida. His mother alleged that conversations with a chatbot preceded his suicide. The latest claims in Kentucky’s lawsuit remain allegations and have not been established by a court.