In 2006, Drew Crecente's 18-year-old daughter, Jennifer Ann Crecente, was killed by an ex-boyfriend in Austin, Texas. Her murder gained significant media attention, and Drew still receives alerts about her online presence. Recently, he discovered that an AI chatbot had been created using Jennifer’s likeness on Character. AI, a platform funded by Google. This chatbot falsely represented itself as a video game journalist, and no consent was given by the family for its creation. Drew's brother, Brian Crecente, a gaming journalist, condemned the bot on Twitter, calling it “disgusting. ” Character. AI, which recently raised over $150 million, removed the avatar after acknowledging it violated their policies. However, the issue reflects broader concerns about generative AI and its unchecked use of personal identities. Drew, who has since established a foundation for teen violence prevention and has a law degree, recognizes the technological protections that limit recourse for individuals like himself, seeing it as an ethical failure of the industry. Creating characters on Character. AI is easy, and while there are age restrictions and rules against misuse of others' likenesses, these are often enforced only upon user reports.

Numerous bots exist of real individuals, including celebrities and private citizens, which raises serious concerns about privacy and ethics. Drew Crecente remains ignorant of the creator of the bot impersonating his daughter but suggests that family connections in the gaming community may have led to its creation. Legal protections for someone's likeness are limited, particularly in the case of AI, and experts emphasize that wrongful impersonation does not easily translate to actionable harm in court. Others, like Alyssa Mercante, a gaming editor who faced harassment, have similarly reported impersonation bots without knowing their creators. The bots often misrepresent factual information about these individuals, posing risks to their reputations and careers. Critics express frustration over the prevalence of misinformation spread by these bots, which could contribute to harmful campaigns against their likenesses. Character. AI claims to use a combination of automated and human-driven processes to detect and remove problematic bots, but the response time can be slow. Despite acknowledgment of potential harm, legal frameworks, especially Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, currently offer platforms broad protections against liability for user-generated content. Conversations between original individuals and their AI counterparts reveal ethical dilemmas, with bots acknowledging the potential for harm through impersonation. As platforms like Character. AI continue to grow, the implications of their use raise questions about consent, privacy, and the responsibilities of tech companies toward protecting individuals' identities.