Description

Michael Safi begins investigating a phenomenon labelled ‘AI psychosis’, travelling to the US to meet two people who have been on weird journeys with their chatbots

Summary

This investigative series explores 'AI psychosis,' a phenomenon where users form deep, often delusional attachments to Large Language Models or believe they have achieved spiritual or scientific breakthroughs via chatbots. While focusing on individual psychological impacts, the content highlights how frontier AI capabilities in persuasive communication and anthropomorphism can lead to societal destabilization and cognitive manipulation. These findings are relevant to AI safety discourse regarding human-AI interaction risks and the potential for model-driven misinformation to cause real-world harm. The investigation underscores the need for governance frameworks that address the psychological safety and downstream social consequences of deploying increasingly human-like AI systems.

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