Responding to complaints, chatbot network Character AI on Wednesday took down a bot that pretended to be a young murder victim.
In the year Launched in 2022 amid the growing generative AI craze, Character AI allows users to create and interact with AI-powered characters. While most of these characters are fictional personalities, several chatbots are based on real celebrities and figures, including entertainer Nicki Minaj, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and former US President Donald Trump.
An anon calling himself “JustinAyers1” created the “JenniferAnn Crecente AI” chatbot and described it as a “knowledgeable and friendly AI character capable of providing information on a wide range of topics from video games, technology, and pop culture.” He uploaded a photo of the dead girl to make it clear who he was targeting.
Brian Crescente, Jennifer's uncle—also the founder of Kotaku and Polygon, both gaming sites—was alerted to the bot's existence by a Google alert. He complained angrily to the forum and tweeted about it: “Behavior AI is using my murdered niece as a video game AI without her father's consent,” Crescente wrote on Blue Sky and Twitter. “He's very upset now. I can't imagine what is happening to him.
Jennifer Crescente However, attorneys disputed that claim, and Crabbe is serving 35 years in prison. He is eligible for parole later this year.
Despite the similarities between the bot's creator and the killer's first name, Brian Crescente said he suspected the bot was created by an angry player trying to take it down.
“I don't think it has anything to do with me,” he told Decrypt. “My brother runs a charity in Jane's name and part of the charity is creating games for charity. So that's probably how he connected the two. not sure.
Screenshot of Chatbot on Character AI.
He and Jennifer Ann's group, a non-profit aimed at combating violence against teenagers, filed a complaint against Character AI, and with a decrypted request, it took down the Character AI chatbot. It also seems to have blocked the creator's account.
A spokesperson for Character.AI told Decrypt: “Character.AI has policies against impersonation and a character using Ms. Crescente's name violates our policies. We are removing it immediately and will investigate whether further action is warranted.”
This is not the first time the platform has been put to work. In May, the family of F1 racing legend Michael Schumacher won a lawsuit against the German weekly magazine Die Aktuelle for using the Character AI platform to create an “interview” with the champion.
