Future Tense

Future Tense

The Settlement Nobody Wanted

What Character.AI's legal reckoning reveals about the parasocial economy

A Z Mackay's avatar
A Z Mackay
Jan 09, 2026
∙ Paid

Google and Character.AI settled this week. Five lawsuits. Five checks written. Five grieving families bound by non-disclosure agreements. The terms remain undisclosed, but the transaction is clear: silence has a market rate, and the tech sector can afford it.

These cases resolved before discovery. Before internal documents could enter the public record. …

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