Updated October 13, 2026

Character.AI filed for bankruptcy: what it means for your characters and chats

If you have spent months with characters on Character.AI, this news is unsettling. Here is what the reporting actually says, what it does not say yet, and a few simple steps to keep a copy of the characters you made.

What is known

  • Character.AI has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as reported by CNN and NBC News on October 13, 2026.
  • Disney has agreed to pay $20 million for a non-exclusive license to some of the company's intellectual property. It is the opening bid, and other bidders can make higher offers.
  • The sale is expected to close in late November or early December.
  • The company said its service continues during the process. CNN reports the deal keeps the platform running at least through the bankruptcy, and NBC News reports the company said the service would be shut down if it cannot find a buyer.

What is not known yet

  • Neither report says what will happen to member accounts, chat history or created characters after the sale.
  • Neither report mentions an official export tool for characters or conversations.
  • Who ends up running the service long term depends on the sale, which has not happened yet.

Nothing has to be decided today. The service is running, so there is time to keep copies calmly.

How to keep a copy of your own characters

For characters you created yourself, the creation text is the part that matters, and you can copy it by hand:

  1. Open the character and go to its edit screen.
  2. Copy the name, the greeting, the description and the definition text.
  3. Paste them into a note or document saved on your own device, one per character, with the name on the first line.
  4. If there are conversation moments you care about, copy or screenshot those too. A copy you hold is the only one you control.

Kept this way, your characters are plain text you own, and almost any character app can take them in.

If you are looking for somewhere else to write

We build AnyConversation, so weigh this accordingly. It is a place for creative freedom with characters who remember you: the character pins facts as the story goes, and you can open that memory and fix any line. It is for adults 18 and over, and your chats stay private.

You can bring the copy you just saved: paste it with the name on the first line, or import a character card as a PNG or JSON file. Imported characters are private to you. The character remembers you from the first message.

For a wider look at the options, see our comparison of Character AI alternatives.

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