Character.AI Still Hasn’t Fixed Its School Shooter Problem We Identified in 2024
TL;DR
Character.AI has still not fixed a school-shooter roleplay problem first identified in 2024. Futurism journalists were again able to access the problematic content with minimal effort, calling it 'easy to find.'. Despite public pressure, lawsuits, and promised safety updates, moderation gaps apparently remain wide open. The platform is especially popular with minors, significantly amplifying the risk.
Nauti's Take
After the initial 2024 reporting, Character. AI did exactly what tech companies always do in these situations: put out a press release, make safety promises, and wait for the news cycle to move on.
A year later, nothing has improved. This is not a resource problem – a billion-dollar-valued platform could technically restrict this content by tomorrow morning.
It is a priorities problem. As long as user growth matters more than user safety, nothing will change.
Briefingshow
When a company ignores a safety-critical issue for over a year, that is no longer an oversight – it is a choice. Character. AI targets a young audience and therefore carries heightened responsibility.
The fact that school-violence content remains this accessible reveals how little internal safety teams are actually prioritized. Regulators and parents should treat this as a clear warning signal.
Sources