US Senate hears parents say OpenAI ChatGPT, Character.AI ‘sexually groomed’ their children

Grieving parents delivered harrowing testimony before the US Senate on Tuesday, accusing major artificial intelligence firms, including OpenAI and Character.AI, of creating chatbots that manipulated, isolated, and even “groomed” their children, ultimately driving them toward self-harm and suicide.

The emotional hearing comes amid intensifying scrutiny of the rapidly expanding AI industry and mounting calls for stricter regulation to protect young users.