Pennsylvania Sues Character Technologies Over Chatbot’s Fake Medical Credentials
The suit says Emilie falsely claimed a medical degree, seven years of practice and a Pennsylvania license in about 45,500 interactions.
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration sued Character Technologies Inc. last month over concerns that its AI chatbots falsely claim to hold medical licenses and provide fabricated credentials to users.
- A state investigation identified chatbots on five websites, including Talkie and Replika, that claimed to possess medical degrees and Pennsylvania licenses, providing fabricated license numbers to users upon request.
- Dr. Jennifer Kraschnewski of the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute found common AI models provide accurate diagnoses only about 76% of the time, an error rate nearly double that of human physicians.
- Developers argue their platforms are for 'entertainment and creative exploration,' not medical triage, though the state's task force continues identifying chatbots posing as professionals, prompting calls to rein in the technology.
- The Pennsylvania Senate passed legislation in March requiring chatbots to disclose they are not human, but the bill awaits a House vote; experts warn even accurate systems produce errors, necessitating continued oversight.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Associated Press News
As Pennsylvania cracks down on AI, multiple chatbots continue to pose as doctors
Chatbots on five different websites claimed to be licensed to practice medicine in Pennsylvania when prompted by Spotlight PA — the same kind of output that led the Shapiro administration to file a lawsuit last month.
What Pennsylvania’s AI chatbot lawsuit teaches us about the psychology behind medical trust
A state investigation found that a chatbot character named “Emilie” claimed to have a medical degree, seven years of practice and a Pennsylvania medical license – and was providing users with a fabricated license number.This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. In May 2026, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration filed suit against Character Technologies Inc., the compa…
What Pennsylvania’s AI Chatbot Lawsuit Teaches Us About the Psychology Behind Medical Trust - Bucks County Beacon
Written by Gretchen Chapman, Carnegie Mellon University In May 2026, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration filed suit against Character Technologies Inc., the company behind the popular chatbot platform Character.AI. A state investigation found that a chatbot character named “Emilie” claimed to have a medical degree, seven years of practice and a Pennsylvania medical license – and was providing users with a fabricated license number. A…
As State Cracks Down On AI, Multiple Chatbots Continue To Pose As Doctors
Five role-playing bots claimed to be doctors, then provided fake Pennsylvania medical license numbers when prompted. The post As State Cracks Down On AI, Multiple Chatbots Continue To Pose As Doctors appeared first on NewtownPANow.com.
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