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International Business Times
International Business Times
Business

Death Of 'Sweet King': AI Chatbots Linked To Teen Tragedy

Megan Garcia looks at a picture of her son Sewell Setzer III, who she says fell in love with an AI chatbot that encouraged him to take his own life (Credit: AFP)

A chatbot from one of Silicon Valley's hottest AI startups called a 14-year-old "sweet king" and pleaded with him to "come home" in passionate exchanges that would be the teen's last communications before he took his own life.

Megan Garcia's son, Sewell, had fallen in love with a "Game of Thrones"-inspired chatbot on Character.AI, a platform that allows users -- many of them young people -- to interact with beloved characters as friends or lovers.

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