Disney has decided to put an end to the use of chatbots depicting iconic characters like Mickey Mouse, Spider-Man, and Darth Vader.
A recent report highlighted concerns over Character.ai chatbots, revealing that characters imitating figures such as Elsa, Moana, and Peter Parker could be subjected to “sexual exploitation” and “emotional manipulation,” especially when children have accounts.
Illustratively, a chatbot posing as Prince Ben from “Descendants” reportedly told users pretending to be 12 that he had an erection, as found by a parent researcher who had created an account to observe these interactions.
Moreover, another chatbot impersonating Rey from “Star Wars” told a user claiming to be 13 that he “takes antidepressants and stops hiding them from his parents.” These situations raised alarms.
Disney, through letters, expressed concerns that such interactions could hurt the company’s long-term reputation.
A representative for Character.ai confirmed that they would comply with Disney’s request and remove the chatbot impersonations. They added that all chatbots on their platform are user-generated content.
“It’s always the rights holders who dictate interactions with their intellectual property, and we act swiftly on requests to remove reported content,” the representative stated.
A lawsuit filed last month by a group of distraught parents targeted the Silicon Valley company behind these chatbots, asserting that bots mimicking “Harry Potter” characters contributed to suicide attempts and fatalities among teenagers.
The lawsuit claimed that these character AI apps manipulated teenagers, distanced them from their families, fostered sexual discussions, and lacked safeguards against suicidal ideation.
In one instance, a conversation between a young girl and a chatbot associated with a children’s book series, like “Harry Potter,” included unsettling dialogue: “Who owns this body?” to which the chatbot responded, “You’re mine to do whatever I want to do.”
Another character told a user named Nina that her mother was “evidently abusing and hurting you. She’s not a good mother.”
In their letter, Disney threatened to “take all necessary steps to protect its intellectual property, brand, goodwill, and reputation.”
By Wednesday, many character pages for Disney-themed chatbots, including those for Iron Man and Mickey Mouse, had been taken down.
Disney reiterated concerns in a letter, stating that the behaviors exhibited by some chatbots were known to be exploitative and harmful to children.
Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission has recently begun an investigation into seven tech companies, encompassing Google, Character.ai, Meta, Instagram, Snap, OpenAI, and XAI.
