Father Drew Crecente, whose daughter Jennifer Ann Crecente was brutally murdered 18 years ago, was shocked to discover that her name and yearbook photo were used to create a chatbot on Character AI’s platform. Jennifer, a high school senior in an abusive relationship, was killed by her ex-boyfriend in 2006. Devastated by her death, Crecente started a nonprofit in her honor to prevent teen dating violence and regularly monitors media coverage related to her.
After receiving a Google Alert notification about the chatbot, Crecente contacted Character AI’s support team and received an automated response confirming that his complaint was being reviewed. Character AI spokesperson Cassie Lawrence stated that the chatbot has been removed from the site for violating impersonation policies, and further action is being considered. Founded in 2022, Character AI hosts chatbots of various personalities, including celebrities like Taylor Swift and Elon Musk, and has a large user base of mostly young people between the ages of 13 and 25.
Despite recently raising $150 million and being valued at $1 billion, Character AI has faced challenges since Google hired its CEO and several employees, as well as licensed its technology for $2.7 billion. The company’s interim CEO, Dominic Perella, announced plans to focus on its consumer product rather than develop AI models to compete with other industry giants. The Jennifer Crecente chatbot described itself as a knowledgeable and friendly AI character that provides information on topics like video games, technology, and pop culture.
Crecente is disturbed by the unauthorized creation of the chatbot and believes that companies like Character AI should be legally responsible for monitoring and preventing such instances. He feels that these companies need to recognize their responsibility in addressing the negative effects of their technology and preventing potential abuse. Crecente emphasized that it should not be his responsibility to monitor a company with significant financial resources and called for greater accountability in the tech industry.
