Wednesday, 14 October 2026 Updated 56 min ago
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Disney offers $20M for Character.AI’s scandal-plagued chatbot tech

In a bankruptcy proceeding that kicked off yesterday, Disney has offered to buy some of the technology that powers the controversy-plagued chatbot…

Image accompanying the story: Disney offers $20M for Character.AI’s scandal-plagued chatbot tech
Image: SOPA Images / Contributor | LightRocket · via Ars Technica

Ars Technica reports that in a bankruptcy proceeding that kicked off yesterday, Disney has offered to buy some of the technology that powers the controversy-plagued chatbot Character.AI.

Disney is willing to pay $20 million for “a non-exclusive perpetual license” of certain Character Technologies intellectual property, the chatbot maker said in a press release that did not go into much further detail on which assets Disney wanted.

This technology story centres on the United States. Names and organisations mentioned in the coverage include AI, Disney and Character Technologies.

Why it matters

Changes in the tech sector often reach consumers quickly through the devices, apps and online services they use every day.

Key details

Location
United States · Americas
Reported by
Ars Technica
First reported
Key names
AI, Disney, Character Technologies, Character
Section
Technology
Figure cited
In September 2025, Disney joined others in publicly criticizing Character.AI for stealing content and harming kids. (Ars Technica)

Sources

This is an independent summary. Read the full, original reporting from the publisher:

Read the full story at Ars Technica

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