Character.AI removes Disney characters after receiving cease-and-desist letter

In Brief

Character.AI received a cease-and-desist missive from Disney, urging the chatbot institution to region Disney characters from among the millions of AI companions connected its plaftorm, Variety reports.

Character.AI allows users to make AI chatbots that tin scope from existent radical similar Elon Musk to fictional characters similar Hermione Granger, positive users’ ain archetypal creations. These chatbots tin beryllium rather unfiltered — successful 1 peculiarly horrific case, a household sued Character.AI aft a chatbot inspired by a Game of Thrones quality allegedly encouraged their teenage lad to perpetrate suicide.

“Character.ai is freeriding disconnected the goodwill of Disney’s celebrated marks and brands, and blatantly infringing Disney’s copyrights,” a Disney lawyer wrote successful the cease-and-esist letter. “Even worse, Character.ai’s infringing chatbots are known, successful immoderate cases, to beryllium sexually exploitive and different harmful and unsafe to children, offending Disney’s consumers and extraordinarily damaging Disney’s estimation and goodwill.”

As of now, Character.AI, searches for Disney-owned characters similar Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Captain America, and Luke Skywalker output nary results. However, different characters from media copyrighted by Disney inactive look successful hunt results, specified arsenic Percy Jackson and Hannah Montana.

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