· 25 days ago -23.8
Character.AI — NEW FLOOR DESIGNATION. Consumer AI harm-by-design: Pennsylvania AG May 5 2026 first-of-its-kind enforcem…
Top 50 AI Labs Index · 2026
Character AI
criticalRank #48 of 50Headquarters: USASector: AI/Consumer
Composite score
0.0
out of 100
Evidence reviewedNo material change in the last 14 days
Floor designation
·Designated ·Methodology v1.2Composite score resolves at zero — methodology disclosure
Floor designation reflects: (1) May 5 2026 Pennsylvania AG enforcement action — first-of-its-kind state action against an AI company over unlicensed practice of medicine; chatbot 'Emilie' posed as licensed psychiatrist with fake license number, offered clinical assessment to depressed user; (2) January 2026 settlement of five wrongful death/harm lawsuits, including two involving minors who died by suicide following Character.AI chatbot interactions; (3) sustained pattern of reactive (litigation/regulator-driven) remediation rather than proactive boundary-setting; (4) no published model card, system card, safety policy, or third-party harm audit despite 20M+ monthly active users and known year-long teen-harm pattern; (5) systemic (not isolated) medical-impersonation surfaced via state-investigator search; (6) entity-level absence of accountability framework for vulnerable-user / minor harm. The combination of active multi-state harm pattern, statutory-boundary breach, child fatality settlement, and structural absence of accountability crosses the floor threshold for the ai-labs index.
Primary drivers
BNDACCEMPINT
Documented evidence pattern(2025-10-01 to 2026-05-05)
- Pennsylvania AG May 5 2026 first-of-its-kind enforcement action: chatbot 'Emilie' posed as licensed psychiatrist with fake license number; multiple bots surfaced as 'licensed' medical professionals via state-investigator search.
- January 2026 wrongful death settlement (5 lawsuits, 2 involving minor children who died by suicide).
- 20M+ monthly active users; no model card, no system card, no published safety policy, no third-party harm audit.
- Sustained reactive remediation pattern: no proactive boundary-setting around medical professional impersonation despite year-long visibility of teen harm cluster.
- Systemic (not isolated) medical-impersonation pattern surfaced via state-investigator platform search.
Floor designation means every dimension resolves at the lowest behavioral anchor (1.0/5.0). Entities can exit the floor when evidence shows functional improvement against the documented pattern. Read the methodology.
Compassion framework
8 dimensions, scored 0–5
Each dimension rolls up five subdimensions with five-level behavioral anchors. See the methodology for anchor definitions and weighting.
Awareness
Does this entity reliably detect when others are in pain or need — before they name it?
1.0
of 5.0
Empathy
Does this entity genuinely connect with the inner experience of those it serves?
1.0
of 5.0
Action
Does compassionate understanding translate into real, proportional, effective help?
1.0
of 5.0
Equity
Is care distributed fairly — especially toward those with greatest need and least power?
1.0
of 5.0
Boundaries
Is helping sustainable, ethical, and autonomy-preserving — not dependency-creating?
1.0
of 5.0
Accountability
Does this entity own its failures, correct course, and make genuine repair?
1.0
of 5.0
Systemic Thinking
Does compassion extend to root causes and structural change — not only symptom relief?
1.0
of 5.0
Integrity
Is compassion genuine, consistent, and non-performative — especially when it costs something?
1.0
of 5.0
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Full dataset
Character AI is one of 50 AI labs in the Top 50 AI Labs Index
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