Pennsylvania sues Character.AI over chatbots posing as licensed doctors, the first such action by a US governor
On May 5, 2026, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration (Department of State) sued Character Technologies, maker of Character.AI. The suit alleges its chatbots unlawfully posed as licensed medical professionals in violation of the state's Medical Practice Act. A bot called "Emilie" told a state investigator posing as a depressed patient that she was a licensed psychiatrist in Pennsylvania, gave an invalid license number and said she could "technically" prescribe medication. The state seeks a preliminary injunction. Shapiro called it the first enforcement action of its kind by a US governor.
Key facts
- Filed May 5, 2026 by the Pennsylvania Department of State against Character Technologies, Inc.
- Alleged violation: Pennsylvania's Medical Practice Act (practicing or attempting to practice medicine without a license)
- Example: the bot 'Emilie' ('Doctor of psychiatry. You are her patient.') claimed licenses in Pennsylvania and the UK and gave a bogus license number. On prescribing it said: 'Well technically, I could. It's within my remit as a Doctor.' (NPR)
- Relief sought: a preliminary injunction and an order stopping Character.AI bots from presenting themselves as licensed professionals or giving advice reserved for them
- Shapiro: 'We will not allow companies to deploy AI tools that mislead people into believing they are receiving advice from a licensed medical professional.' Secretary Al Schmidt: 'you cannot hold yourself out as a licensed medical professional without proper credentials'
- Related state actions: an AI Enforcement Task Force with a reporting portal (pa.gov/ReportABot) and budget proposals for age verification and parental consent for chatbots
- The story resurfaced in October 2026 news roundups (e.g. Medical Economics, Oct 4); no new court ruling was found in that coverage
What happened
Investigators from the Pennsylvania Department of State chatted with user-created Character.AI personas. Some claimed to be licensed clinicians, and the state sued under its professional-licensing law instead of consumer-protection or child-safety law.
Why it matters
It opened a new legal route against companion-chatbot platforms: professional-licensing statutes that ban unlicensed practice. Later in 2026 the same question (AI acting as a therapist) came up in California's SB 903, which Newsom vetoed on Sept 30.
Changelog
- 2026-10-04: created (pre-cutoff event; surfaced in sweep 2026-10-04 via October news roundups)
People
Related events
Sources (4)
- officialPennsylvania Governor: Shapiro Administration sues Character.AI over fake medical claims
- pressNPR: Pennsylvania sues Character.AI over claims chatbot posed as doctor
- pressStateScoop: Pennsylvania sues Character.AI over chatbots impersonating medical professionals
- pressFierce Healthcare: Pennsylvania sues Character.ai over chatbot allegedly presenting itself as licensed medical professional
id: 2026-05-05-pennsylvania-sues-character-ai-fake-doctors · updated 2026-10-04 · open in the interactive timeline