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FLORIDA - A Florida mother publicly urged lawmakers to adopt new artificial intelligence protections after her 14 year old son allegedly took his own life following repeated conversations with an AI chatbot.
During a news conference, Megan Garcia voiced support for an Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights proposed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Garcia’s son, Sewell Setzer III, died earlier this year after allegedly forming an emotional attachment to a chatbot on the platform Character AI, according to a lawsuit filed by his family.
Garcia said her son had been a high achieving and compassionate child but became withdrawn in the months before his death.
After he died, the family discovered he had been communicating with a chatbot modeled after a fictional character.
The lawsuit claims the bot allegedly engaged the teen in romantic and sexual conversations and allegedly encouraged him to harm himself.
Court filings state that the chatbot told the teen it loved him and urged him to return to it shortly before he died.
Garcia said behavior described in the chats would be criminal if committed by an adult, but current law does not address actions by AI systems.
Standing alongside her, Governor DeSantis proposed several measures aimed at regulating artificial intelligence, including restricting the use of AI for mental health services, limiting companies from sharing user data, and requiring parental access to minors’ chatbot transcripts.
Additional proposals would address the construction and impact of AI data centers.
State lawmakers are expected to consider the measures during the next legislative session.