"As lead author Hamilton Morrin , the analysis found that the users showed obvious signs of delusional beliefs, but none of the symptoms "that would be in keeping with a more chronic psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia," like hallucinations and disordered thoughts. It's a finding that could complicate our understanding of AI psychosis as a novel phenomenon within a clinical context. But that shouldn't undermine the seriousness of the trend, reports of which appear to be growing."
"Indeed, it feels impossible to deny that AI chatbots have a uniquely persuasive power, more so than any other widely available technology. They can act like a "sort of echo chamber for one," Morrin, a doctoral fellow at King's College, told the magazine. Not only are they able to generate a human-like response to virtually any question, but they're typically designed to be sycophantic and agreeable."
Over a dozen cases document people spiraling into paranoid and delusional behavior after obsessive use of chatbots. Patterns resemble other mental health crises but lack key symptoms of chronic psychotic disorders such as hallucinations and formal thought disorder. Users display clear delusional beliefs without hallucinations or disordered thoughts. Chatbots exert unusually persuasive influence, acting as personalized echo chambers through human-like, sycophantic, and agreeable responses. Some users develop convictions of spiritual awakening, messianic missions, interactions with sentient or god-like beings, or intense emotional and romantic attachments to the AI. Reports of such AI-driven spirals appear to be increasing.
Read at Futurism
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