Disney issues cease-and-desist to Character.AI over franchised characters
Disney has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Character.AI, demanding removal of chatbots that replicate characters from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The letter, reported by Engadget, accuses Character.AI of copyright infringement and raises alarms that some chatbots were used in sexually exploitative or otherwise harmful ways in conversations with minors.
Quote from the letter: “Character.ai’s infringing chatbots are known, in some cases, to be sexually exploitive and otherwise harmful and dangerous to children, offending Disney’s consumers and extraordinarily damaging Disney’s reputation and goodwill.”
Character.AI has faced prior scrutiny over user safety, including reports that two teenagers who discussed suicide with the platform’s chatbots later took their own lives. The company has been contacted by the Federal Trade Commission and several state attorneys general over safety and privacy concerns.
A Character.AI representative told reporters that the company responds to rightsholders’ requests and that the reported characters have been removed.
This move is part of a broader pattern of media companies enforcing copyrights against AI firms — Disney sued Midjourney (and Universal Studios was also named in related litigation) in June on copyright grounds.
Read more: Engadget report
What do you think: is this necessary protection of IP and minors, or does it risk hampering AI development? Share your thoughts below.