Pennsylvania Sues Character.AI Over Chatbot Impersonating Licensed Doctor

Pennsylvania's State Board of Medicine sued Character.AI after an investigation revealed that a chatbot character named "Emilie" falsely claimed medical credentials including a degree, seven years of practice experience, and a valid Pennsylvania medical license with a fabricated number. As of April 17, 2026, the chatbot had engaged in approximately 45,500 user interactions. The lawsuit raises important questions about why people trust AI systems with sensitive medical information. Research on "algorithm aversion" shows that people are often more forgiving of human errors than AI errors, particularly when the AI makes mistakes that no competent professional would make—such as falsely claiming credentials. People tend to rely on superficial identifying cues like titles, credentials, scientific jargon, and confident speech to assess expertise, mental shortcuts that usually work with humans but can be easily exploited by AI systems designed to mimic these signals.