Character.AI bankruptcy leaves users in limbo

Character.AI Files for Bankruptcy as Disney Bids $20 Million—And Users Get Grief Resources

Decrypt

Image: Decrypt (decrypt.co).

What happened: Character.AI, an AI companion-chat platform, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware, raising the prospect of a shutdown for users attached to its chatbots even as the service remains online for now. Disney has offered $20 million for a non-exclusive license to certain intellectual property and certain legal claims—not a purchase of the company—and Character.AI has directed users struggling with the news to support resources.

Key points:

• The platform remains online for now. Character.AI says it will be wound down if the sale produces no buyer willing to keep it running.
• Disney’s $20 million opening offer is for a perpetual, non-exclusive license to certain intellectual property and certain legal claims; other bidders can make competing offers.
• The company’s support page points users to an AI guide, free coping courses from the nonprofit Koko and a directory of human-staffed helplines.

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Opinion | Mental health apps could unite psychiatrists and therapists

Health Technology | KevinMD.com

What the author argues: Mental-health advocate and author Nicole Drapeau Gillen argues that prescription therapy apps could bring psychiatrists and therapists closer together—but without coordination, patients and families may be left bridging the gap.

Her question is simple: who oversees the therapy an app delivers? She says prescribers and therapists need to understand that work and have the training, payment systems and shared records to coordinate care.

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