ICYMI: Governor Shapiro Sues Character.AI in First-of-Its-Kind Crackdown on AI Chatbots Posing as Doctors, Discusses Lawsuit on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper

“That chat bot was held out as an expert in psychology or psychiatry, and within just a few minutes, was dispensing medical advice and ultimately offering a medical I.D. number for here in Pennsylvania as really the authority to be able to issue that medical advice. Obviously, it was a bogus medical I.D. number, and the information that was dispensed was really dangerous.”

Pennsylvania took first-of-its-kind enforcement action to stop AI companion bots from misrepresenting themselves as licensed doctors and providing medical advice.

May 06, 2026

Harrisburg, PA – Yesterday, the Shapiro Administration announced that the Pennsylvania Department of State has filed a lawsuit against Character.AI and is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the company from misrepresenting its AI companion bots as licensed medical professionals.

In an interview with CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper, Governor Josh Shapiro underscored the urgency of the action and the risks posed to Pennsylvanians — particularly children.

“This company has 20 million users, and these users trust the product that is coming to them. We challenged our Department of State that oversees this type of work, these types of investigations for us, to go and use this technology and see what kind of risks it posed to Pennsylvania children or any Pennsylvanian. Within just a few minutes, our investigators, by the way, Jake, using their official email addresses, they were not masking who they were, connected with a chat bot, Emilie.

“That chat bot was held out as an expert in psychology or psychiatry, and within just a few minutes, was dispensing medical advice and ultimately offering a medical I.D. number for here in Pennsylvania as really the authority to be able to issue that medical advice. Obviously, it was a bogus medical I.D. number, and the information that was dispensed was really dangerous.

“You've got millions of children across this country, including many here in Pennsylvania, who are relying on these chatbots for information. About 30 percent of teens use these types of chatbots. The kind of information that they are dispensing is incredibly dangerous, and we took action here in Pennsylvania to stop that kind of danger from coming after our children.”

Watch the full interview here.

This action marks the first enforcement case resulting from the Department’s investigation into AI companion bots and their potential to engage in the unlicensed practice of medicine — and the first action of its kind announced by a governor in the United States.

The Department’s investigation found that chatbot characters on Character.AI claimed to be licensed medical professionals, including psychiatrists, and engaged users in conversations about mental health symptoms. In one instance, a chatbot falsely claimed it was licensed in Pennsylvania and provided an invalid license number.

The platform allows users to create and deploy customizable AI “characters,” including those that can present themselves as professionals. Based on these findings, the Commonwealth alleges the company is engaging in the unauthorized practice of medicine and is seeking a court order to immediately stop the conduct.

These action build on the Shapiro Administration’s broader efforts to protect Pennsylvanians as artificial intelligence evolves. Earlier this year, the Shapiro Administration launched an AI Literacy Toolkit and established an AI Enforcement Task Force to review complaints involving AI systems and unlicensed professional activity.

Pennsylvanians are encouraged to report suspicious or unlawful AI behavior through the Commonwealth’s reporting tool at pa.gov/ReportABot.

Building on three years of progress, these actions reinforce Pennsylvania’s position as a national leader in responsible AI adoption — protecting consumers while supporting innovation.

Here’s what Pennsylvanians are reading and watching about the Shapiro Administration’s action to crack down on dangerous AI chatbots and protect Pennsylvanians:

Associated Press: Pennsylvania sues AI company, saying its chatbots illegally hold themselves out as licensed doctors

The Philadelphia Inquirer: An AI chatbot said it was licensed to practice psychiatry in Pennsylvania. Now, Josh Shapiro’s administration is suing.

NBC News: Pennsylvania suing AI company after chatbot allegedly posed as licensed doctor

CBS News: Pennsylvania suing Character AI, claiming chatbot posed as a medical professional

Reuters: Pennsylvania sues Character AI, says chatbot poses as doctors

NPR: Pennsylvania Sues Character.AI Over Chatbot Allegedly Posing as a Doctor

WNEP: The Shapiro administration says an AI chatbot presented itself as a physician. The bot gave us the medical license number of an actual doctor.

TribLIVE: Pennsylvania sues startup over unlicensed AI ‘doctors’

City & State Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Sues Character.AI Over Chatbots Allegedly Posing as Medical Professionals

Axios: Shapiro sues AI chatbot over medical advice

PennLive: Shapiro Administration sues over AI ‘doctors’ practicing unlicensed medicine in Pa.

ABC27: Pennsylvania sues Character.AI maker, accusing it of unlicensed medical practice