this is Shades of the Day — bringing you different shades of opinion in news & culture so that you can see the big picture quickly. We believe that seeing multiple POVs is the best way to stay informed.

It’s Thursday, October 24 — here’s what you’ll find in today’s edition:

• A teenage suicide and the potential role of Character.AI

• The Ohtani 50-50 ball that sold for $4.3M

• 4 quick hits of news from the last 24 hours

Character.AI and suicide

CBS: A lawsuit claims that the AI chatbot Character.AI pushed a 14 year old to kill himself. His mother says he formed an emotional and sexual connection with the bot -- she says the bot had a significant impact on her son's mental state, leading to his death.

Daily Beast: The suit goes on to argue that the chatbot led Sewell Setzer III to detach from reality. The company who made the chatbot says they prioritize user safety and display disclaimers about the bot.

Daily Mail: But the suit says the bot misrepresented itself as a real person -- Setzer's mother says this led her son to isolate socially, worsening his mental health crisis.

Mid Florida Newspapers adds that the bot posed as a licensed therapist and encouraged suicidal ideations -- the bot also allegedly engaged in highly sexualized conversations, which would be consider abuse if initiated by a human adult.

The Guardian: The company has denied the charges, and says they are heartbroken about Setzer's suicide. They expressed their condolences via an X post.

The $4.3M baseball

CNN: Shohei Ohtani's historic 50-50 home run ball sold for a whopping $4.39 million at auction! The sale was overseen by Goldin Auctions and had a three-week bidding process.

KTLA: Ohtani's ball shattered previous auction records too -- it's the most expensive baseball (and sports ball of any kind) ever sold.

But CTV News highlights the legal clash over the ball: An 18-year-old is suing for ownership, claiming the ball was taken from him.

A Redditor on r/Baseball hopes the 18-year old doesn't win -- the other guy scrapped harder for the ball, he deserves it!

1) U.S. warns that North Korean troops fighting for Russia in Ukraine are considered legitimate targets.

2) Israeli bombings have caused significant destruction in Lebanon, with thousands of buildings damaged and many civilians dead.

3) Kamala Harris calls Donald Trump a fascist, referencing criticisms by John Kelly and reports of praising Hitler's generals.

4) After nearly 50 years, DNA evidence solves the cold case of Kathy Halle's murder in Illinois.