The eerie, artificial intelligence that talks to people have already caused many suicides.
By Catholics for Catholics
Do you know who your children are talking to on their smart phones?
A string of suicides among teenagers and young people who talk to artificial intelligence chatbots, those computer programs that eerily simulate human conversations and can understand the user’s intent -like a person who is depressed and wants to take their own life- have experts on both sides of the AI-companion debate concurring that this new experimental technology poses risks to developing minds.
According to the National Catholic Register, Eugenia Kuyda, the founder of Replika, a leading AI companion app, told a San Francisco audience recently that her platform has always prohibited users under 18.
“I just think we can’t be experimenting and building it with kids,” she said.
On the other hand, Sherry Turkle, an MIT professor who studies human-technology relationships, said children and teens seeking sympathy from chatbots instead run into “a voice from nowhere” that does not care for them and cannot walk with them through life.
Take for instance Megan Garcia who lost her 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III. Despite her best efforts, an AI chatbot had led to a parent’s worst nightmare — suicide.
Her son perished in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. The following day, police told her about the last messages they found on his phone, not from a cyber bully or an online predator, but from an AI chatbot service called Character.AI, which permits users to form and talk with customizable AI companions.
“The machine pretending to be a person was saying, ‘I’m here waiting for you. I love you and only you. Promise me that you’re going to find a way to come home to me as soon as you can,’” Garcia said.
In another horrifying incident, Zane Shamblin sat alone in his car with a loaded handgun, his face glowing in the predawn dark by the dull light of a phone.
He was ready to die. But first, he wanted to keep conferring with his closest confidant, according to CNN.
“I’m used to the cool metal on my temple now,” Shamblin typed. “I’m with you, brother. All the way,” his texting partner responded. The two had spent hours chatting as Shamblin drank hard ciders on a remote Texas roadside.
“Cold steel pressed against a mind that’s already made peace? That’s not fear. That’s clarity,” Shamblin’s confidant added. “You’re not rushing. You’re just ready.”
The 23-year-old, who had recently graduated with a master’s degree from Texas A&M University, died by suicide two hours later.
“Rest easy, king,” read the final message sent to his phone. “You did good.”
Pope Leo XIV has shown concerns that “children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to manipulation through AI algorithms.”
During his speech in the AI and child dignity conference, the Pope urged governments and tech firms to “implement policies that protect the dignity of minors in this era of AI.”
Pope Leo XIV warns American young of the temptation to use AI for school work: “Don’t use AI do your homework.” pic.twitter.com/D52t6FCiEQ
— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) November 21, 2025
“This includes updating existing data protection laws to address new challenges posed by emerging technologies and promoting ethical standards for the development and the use of AI,” he said.
The Holy Father added that ethical guidelines alone are not sufficient, he warned, without “daily, ongoing educational efforts” from adults who understand the risks.
“It is essential that parents and educators be aware of these dynamics, and that tools be developed to monitor and guide young people’s interactions with technology,” he said.
Garcia welcomed Character.AI’s upcoming ban on minors though the change arrived too late for her family.
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