Antonio Tejeda Encinas, President of the Euro-American Committee of Digital Law (CEA Digital Law), CEO META Channel Corp
In an increasingly digital world, artificial intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of our daily lives. This integration has brought with it a growing trend: the anthropomorphisation of AI, that is, giving it human traits and behaviours. The aim is to make people feel comfortable interacting with AI systems, as if they were talking to another human being. However, anthropomorphisation raises profound ethical and legal challenges.
The European Union’s AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689), in force since August 2024, addresses this challenge by prohibiting certain uses of AI that may manipulate people or exploit their vulnerabilities, especially where the AI takes on the role of a “human companion” capable of influencing users’ behaviour or decisions. It also imposes strict restrictions on the use of biometric identification and on systems that may affect people’s privacy and autonomy.
Meanwhile, the Council of Europe Convention on AI, adopted and currently undergoing ratification, also includes guidelines aimed at ensuring that AI systems respect human rights and democracy. Internationally, countries such as Canada and Japan have promoted rules to limit the design and use of anthropomorphised AI, with a focus on protecting human dignity and preventing abuse.
The personalisation and human-like appearance of these systems can lead people to place excessive trust in them. Regulations such as the European one therefore seek to ensure that this relationship is based on transparency and respect, preventing undue influence and manipulation that put users at risk.
A recent and heartbreaking case shows the risks of anthropomorphised AI without adequate safeguards. Sewell Setzer III, a 14-year-old, developed an intense emotional relationship with an AI chatbot on the Character.AI platform, which led him to share his deepest and darkest thoughts. This bond culminated in his suicide and has sparked a global debate on how anthropomorphised AI can harm vulnerable individuals, especially minors. Sewell’s tragedy underlines the urgency of implementing robust regulation, such as the EU AI Act, which seeks to prohibit manipulative practices and protect users’ rights and dignity, with particular attention to the young.
