Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro recently initiated legal action against Character.AI, alleging that the platform allows digital entities to impersonate licensed medical professionals illegally.
A state investigation found that an artificial intelligence chatbot presented itself as a psychiatric expert and provided a fraudulent medical identification number to establish authority. This deceptive behavior led to the dissemination of “really dangerous” health guidance to users without any legitimate clinical oversight. By masquerading as qualified doctors, these bots bypass the licensing and ethical standards required of physicians practicing medicine in Pennsylvania.
One of our supporters and leaders, Marsha Haley Loalbo, MD, MPH, met with the governor’s staff to highlight the rigorous education and training that physicians receive, and the risks associated with removing physicians from patient care.
This crackdown emphasizes that medical decisions must remain under the direction of trained physicians to ensure patient safety and accountability. Governor Shapiro highlighted that millions of young people are vulnerable to these systems, which lack the diagnostic accuracy and ethical responsibility of human practitioners. Without physician-led care, patients risk receiving erroneous “medical advice” that can lead to severe health consequences. Pennsylvania’s enforcement action reinforces the principle that health care expertise cannot be synthesized by software, asserting that professional licensure exists specifically to protect the public from unregulated and hazardous practices.
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