Texas AG investigating purported therapy chatbots from Meta AI Studio, Character.AI

Meta and Character.AI are among the recipients of civil investigative demands sent by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to companies accused of marketing their artificial intelligence chatbots as mental health aids.

“These platforms may be utilized by vulnerable individuals, including children, and can present themselves as professional therapeutic tools, despite lacking proper medical credentials or oversight,” according to an Aug. 18 press release from Paxton’s office.

The development would tackle one aspect of a multifaceted policy debate surrounding a...