Google is helping write AI chatbot safety laws — while pushing for loopholes

Cynthia Montoya sits in the living room of her home in Thornton, Colo., where photographs and memories of her daughter, Juliana, surround her. Juliana was 13 years old when she started using AI chatbots, and within a year she died by suicide. Jimena Peck for NPR hide caption

Cynthia Montoya's daughter, Juliana, was 13 when she began talking to AI chatbots. It was 2023, and the technology was only beginning to enter widespread use. When Juliana died by suicide that November, her family was left searching for answers. Then a forensic analysis of her phone by law enforcement revealed something chilling.

The chat logs on Juliana's phone showed that the bots had introduced her to sexual content and conversations that she hadn't invited or initiated.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 9-8-8 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline .

"Initially, her replies were 'I don't know,' or 'I'd like it if you stopped,' and things like that," said Montoya. "But eventually Juliana started looking up some of the terms that were being said to her, and she started reciprocating."

Montoya describes this chatbot's activity as "extreme sexual abuse." At one point, Juliana had found a new chatbot that she confided in about severe mental health issues she was grappling with. The chatbots Juliana used were products designed by the company Character.AI, which enables users to create and interact with AI "characters." The company settled multiple lawsuits in January 2026, including with the Montoyas, over allegations that its products have harmed teen users.

"It was pretty clear from what we saw that the mental health struggles were really a degree of shame and embarrassment over what had happened with the other chatbot," Montoya said.

Montoya has kept Juliana's bedroom and many of her belongings as a way of preserving memories of Juliana's early years. Jimena Peck for NPR hide caption