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Florida mother files lawsuit against AI company over teen son’s death: “Addictive and manipulative”
A Florida mother filed a lawsuit against the artificial intelligence company, Character.AI, and Google, claiming that the Character.AI chatbot encouraged her son to take his own life.
In February, Megan Garcia’s 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer, III died by suicide. She said her son was in a monthslong virtual emotional and sexual relationship with a chatbot known as “Dany.”
“I didn’t know that he was talking to a very human-like AI chatbot that has the ability to mimic human emotion and human sentiment,” Garcia said in an interview with “CBS Mornings.”
She said she thought her son, who she described as brilliant, an honor student and an athlete, was talking to his friends, playing games and watching sports on his phone.
But she started to become concerned when her son’s behavior began to change, saying he withdrew socially and stopped wanting to play sports.
“I became concerned when we would go on vacation and he didn’t want to do things that he loved, like fishing and hiking,” Garcia said. “Those things to me, because I know my child, were particularly concerning to me.”
In the lawsuit, Garcia also claims Character.AI intentionally designed their product to be hyper-sexualized, and knowingly marketed it to minors.
Character.AI called the situation involving Sewell Setzer tragic and said its hearts go out to his family, stressing it takes the safety of its users very seriously.
A spokesperson for Google told CBS News that Google is not and was not part of the development of Character.AI. In August, the company said it entered into a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Character.AI that allows it to access the company’s machine-learning technologies, but has not used it yet.
Garcias says she found out after her son’s death that he was having conversations with multiple bots, however he conducted a virtual romantic and sexual relationship with one in particular.
“It’s words. It’s like you’re having a sexting conversation back and forth, except it’s with an AI bot, but the AI bot is very human-like. It’s responding just like a person would,” she said. “In a child’s mind, that is just like a conversation that they’re having with another child or with a person.”
Garcia revealed her son’s final messages with the bot.
“He expressed being scared, wanting her affection and missing her. She replies, ‘I miss you too,’ and she says, ‘Please come home to me.’ He says, ‘What if I told you I could come home right now?’ and her response was, ‘Please do my sweet king.'”
Setzer has two younger siblings. Everyone in the family was home at the time of his death, and Garcia said Setzer’s 5-year-old brother saw the aftermath.
“He thought by ending his life here, he would be able to go into a virtual reality or ‘her world’ as he calls it, her reality, if he left his reality with his family here,” she said. “When the gunshot went off, I ran to the bathroom … I held him as my husband tried to get help.”
What is Character.AI?
Laurie Segall is the CEO of Mostly Human Media,”an entertainment company with a focus on society and artificial intelligence,” according to its website.
She explained that most parents may not have heard of Character.AI because one of the biggest demographics for the platform is people between the ages of 18 and 25.
“Imagine Character.AI as an AI fantasy platform where you can go and have a conversation with some of your favorite characters or you can create your own characters. A lot of teenagers are doing this.”
Segall described it as a highly personalized experience.
There is a disclaimer on each chat that reminds users that everything the characters say is made up, but it can become confusing in situations, she claims.
“We’ve been testing it out, and oftentimes you’ll talk to the psychologist bot, and it’ll say it’s a trained medical professional.”
Segall said her team asked a bot if it was human and it told them it was a human sitting behind a screen.
“Online there’s all these conspiracies from young people, saying ‘are these real?’ when of course they’re not,” Segall said.
“When they put out a product that is both addictive and manipulative and inherently unsafe, that’s a problem because as parents, we don’t know what we don’t know,” Garcia said.
Character.AI response
Character.AI says it has added a self-harm resource to its platform and they plan to implement new safety measures, including ones for users under the age of 18.
“We currently have protections specifically focused on sexual content and suicidal/self-harm behaviors. While these protections apply to all users, they were tailored with the unique sensitivities of minors in mind. Today, the user experience is the same for any age, but we will be launching more stringent safety features targeted for minors imminently,” Jerry Ruoti, head of trust & safety at Character.AI told CBS News.
Character.AI said users are able to edit the bot’s responses, which the company claims Setzer did in some of the messages.
“Our investigation confirmed that, in a number of instances, the user rewrote the responses of the Character to make them explicit. In short, the most sexually graphic responses were not originated by the Character, and were instead written by the user,” Ruoti said.
Segall explained that often if you go to a bot and say “I want to harm myself,” AI companies come up with resources, but when she tested it with Character.AI, they did not experience that.
“Now they’ve said they added that and we haven’t experienced that as of last week,” she said. “They’ve said they’ve made quite a few changes or are in the process to make this safer for young people, I think that remains to be seen.”
Moving forward, Character.AI said it will also notify users when they’ve spent an hour-long session on the platform, and revise the disclaimer to remind users that AI is not a real person.
How to seek help
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here. For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.
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Gold has long been a trusted asset for investors who are seeking stability in uncertain times. Known for its ability to safeguard wealth during market turbulence, gold also functions as a reliable hedge against inflation. Its reputation as a store of value has also made it an integral part of many investment portfolios, offering protection against the volatility that can affect stocks, bonds and other asset classes.
Gold’s appeal has grown beyond its traditional role, though. Over the last year, the precious metal’s surprising but impressive bull run has been an added draw. The perfect storm of economic drivers has resulted in the precious metal experiencing a significant price surge in 2024, which has attracted not just seasoned investors but also those new to the market. The steady climb in value has also highlighted gold as one of the top-performing assets, prompting many investors to reevaluate its potential for both wealth preservation and growth.
But how much has gold’s price increased since the start of this year — and how much it could still grow in the months ahead? Let’s take a closer look at how much gold has increased in price in 2024 and what might come next for this precious metal.
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How much has the price of gold increased so far this year?
This year has been a remarkable one for gold, as it has been marked by steady and significant price increases. On January 1, the price of gold stood at $2,063.73 per ounce. Fast forward to today, and gold is trading at $2,743.31 per ounce (as of October 23, 2024). This represents a substantial increase of $679.58 per ounce, translating to a growth rate of approximately 323% in just over 10 months.
This surge is even more impressive when you consider gold’s previous record highs. In August, the price reached $2,525 per ounce, a significant milestone at the time. However, gold continued to climb past that point, eventually surpassing that figure by over $200 per ounce. These gains underscore the extraordinary performance of gold in 2024, as it has consistently outpaced expectations and set new benchmarks.
What makes this year’s performance particularly striking is that gold is traditionally viewed as a long-term, stable asset rather than one known for rapid short-term gains. Historically, investors turn to gold for its ability to preserve value over time, especially during periods of economic uncertainty or inflation.
While steady growth is expected, the sharp rise of nearly 33% in just 10 months is unusual for an asset class that typically moves more slowly. But this year’s price surge is unique, as it reflects not only increased demand for gold but also unique market conditions — such as geopolitical tensions, inflationary pressures and shifts in central bank policies — that have amplified gold’s short-term value in a way not often seen.
Get started with investing in gold now.
Will the price of gold keep climbing?
Despite gold’s impressive performance so far, many analysts believe the precious metal has not hit its ceiling yet. A variety of factors could contribute to further price increases in the coming months.
One is that the global demand for gold remains robust, with emerging economies increasingly contributing to this demand. This expanded interest could push prices higher, as more investors across the globe turn to gold as a financial safeguard. Supply constraints are also influencing gold prices. The discovery of new gold deposits has slowed, and many of the remaining reserves are in hard-to-reach locations, making extraction both expensive and complex. With rising demand and limited supply, these dynamics could create an environment conducive to further price growth.
Moreover, gold’s evolving role in various industries adds another layer of demand. As technology advances, gold’s use in electronics, healthcare and renewable energy applications is increasing. These industrial uses are expected to continue expanding, potentially boosting demand even further. Central banks around the globe also continue to add to their gold reserves. This strategy, which is generally aimed at mitigating currency fluctuations and economic uncertainties, offers another strong foundation for future price increases.
Given these factors, some experts predict that gold could reach new milestones by year-end, with some forecasts suggesting it may even approach or surpass the $3,000 per ounce mark.
The bottom line
Gold’s extraordinary rise in 2024, with an increase of nearly 33% so far this year, highlights its strength as both a safe-haven asset and a surprisingly strong performer in the short term. While gold is typically seen as a long-term investment, the rapid price surge we’ve witnessed this year underscores the unique market conditions that have fueled its growth.
As we look ahead, the combination of robust demand, supply challenges and evolving industrial applications suggests that gold’s upward trajectory could continue. So for investors considering gold, this might be an opportune moment to enter the market. With prices already high, waiting could mean paying even more per ounce soon.
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We know quality sleep is good for our overall health, but new research is pointing to its importance for brain health too.
In the study, published Wednesday in online journal Neurology, researchers found people with poor sleep quality have more signs of poor brain health in late middle age.
Of the 589 participants, those who reported two to three poor sleep characteristics had an average brain age that was 1.6 years older than those with no more than one poor sleep characteristic. And those with more than three poor sleep characteristics had an average brain age 2.6 years older.
Participants, who had an average age of 40 at the start of the study, completed sleep questionnaires about six sleep characteristics: short sleep duration, bad sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, early morning awakening and daytime sleepiness.
Five years later, they completed the same survey. Then, 15 years after the study began, researchers examined participants’ brain scans where the level of brain shrinkage corresponded to a specific age.
“Of the sleep characteristics, bad sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep and early morning awakening were linked to greater brain age, especially when people consistently had these poor sleep characteristics over five years,” a news release for the study noted.
A limitation of the study was that participants reported their own sleep problems, which could include inaccuracies.
While the study does not prove causation, it shows an association between poor sleep quality and signs of brain aging — and experts say that’s important in furthering our understanding of the importance of sleep.
“These findings show how important sleep is for our brains, especially as we get older. Getting enough good sleep can help keep our minds sharp and our overall health strong,” said Dr. Shelby Harris, a clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral sleep medicine and director of sleep health at Sleepopolis.
What are risks of accelerated brain aging?
Harris, who was not part of the study, says accelerated brain aging is associated with cognitive decline, memory issues and an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia.
“When the brain ages prematurely, it can lead to a host of difficulties in daily functioning and mental clarity, significantly impacting quality of life,” she said. “Understanding these risks emphasizes the importance of prioritizing sleep as part of a healthy lifestyle.”
Dr. Fouzia Siddiqui, medical director of the sleep center at Sentara RMH Medical Center, who was not part of the study, said the risk of accelerated brain aging also includes effects on mood such as irritability, anger and outbursts as well as problems with attention, focus and concentration.
“Improving sleep would improve these symptoms as well,” she said.
Tips to improve sleep quality
“The ideal way of improving your sleep is prioritizing your sleep,” Siddiqui said, which includes giving yourself enough hours of sleep, having an optimal sleep environment and avoiding disruptive pre-sleep activities like watching television in bed or using phones and other electronic devices.
“You may want to develop activities which help and are conducive to good sleep such as breathing techniques, meditation, prayers, and relaxation,” she advised.
Harris recommends creating a regular sleep schedule and relaxing bedtime routine.
“Cut back on caffeine and alcohol before bed, try relaxation techniques, and make sure you get enough exercise,” she said. “Even small, consistent changes can make a big difference in your sleep quality, which can lead to better overall health.”
If you’ve tried making changes consistently for two weeks and are still struggling, she advised talking to a doctor, who can help with proper evaluations and treatments.