Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of suicidal ideation. If you are in distress, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 24 hours a day at 988, or visit 988lifeline.org for more resources.
A controversial Bay Area artificial intelligence startup that’s been linked to teen suicides filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday, and a former adversary is already swooping in to collect the scraps.
Character.AI, a chatbot platform with a vast array of characters for conversation, was launched in 2022 by two former Google engineers. But after four years and several lawsuits alleging the platform was dangerous for children, Character.AI is asking the court to help find a buyer. In the meantime, the company announced that it signed a $20 million deal with Disney to assist in the transition, and in return, the media giant gets to license some of Character.AI’s tech…