PA Department of State cites 18 AI chatbot complaints since launching AI Task Force
PA Department of State cites 18 AI chatbot complaints since launching AI Task Force
Publish Date: 2026-05-08 21:25:00
Source Domain: local21news.com
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHP) — Pennsylvania has established a new Artificial Intelligence Task Force.
Secretary of State Al Schmidt assembled the 12-member Task Force at the start of the year, which led to a lawsuit against the AI company Character.AI.
According to the Department of State, 18 complaints have been filed since the Task Force’s inception.
“Chatbots that have an important purpose and can provide a lot of information and be helpful in a number of ways, but not when they lie to you,” said Secretary of State Al Schmidt in an interview for CBS 21’s Face the State.
READ MORE | PA tries to stop chatbot from impersonating doctors in lawsuit vs. Character.AI
The Pennsylvania Department of State said it was tasked with investigating complaints amid growing concerns about the dangers posed by artificial intelligence.
During his most recent budget address, Governor Shapiro directed the Department of State (DOS) to explore all legal options to hold developers of AI chatbot apps accountable and encouraged the General Assembly to put real safeguards in place to protect vulnerable Pennsylvanians.
“They are preying on our kids and what they’re doing is incredibly dangerous,” Governor Josh Shapiro said in a recent interview on CNN. “And we took action here in Pennsylvania to stop that kind of danger from coming after our children.”
The goal of the Task Force is to ensure that chatbots comply with state laws. And in the case of Character.AI, Secretary Schmidt said the company violated the Medical Practice Act by claiming it was licensed to practice medicine in Pennsylvania.
“Obviously, it was a bogus medical ID number,” Shapiro told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
“It’s important that we bring those actions to safeguard health and safety in Pennsylvania,” Schmidt said.
CBS 21’s Joel D. Smith asked whether it’s hard to stay ahead of it all, since Character.AI is only one of many companies capable of the same thing.
“It changes every week. And at the Pennsylvania Department of State, whether it’s…
