OpenAI Says Hundreds of Thousands of ChatGPT Users May Show Signs of Manic or Psychotic Crisis Every Week

"For the first time ever, OpenAI has released a rough estimate of how many ChatGPT users globally may show signs of having a severe mental health crisis in a typical week. The company said Monday that it worked with experts around the world to make updates to the chatbot so it can more reliably recognize indicators of mental distress and guide users toward real-world support."

"In recent months, a growing number of people have ended up hospitalized, divorced, or dead after having long, intense conversations with ChatGPT. Some of their loved ones allege the chatbot fueled their delusions and paranoia. Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals have expressed alarm about the phenomenon, which is sometimes referred to as AI psychosis, but until now there's been no robust data available on how widespread it might be."

"OpenAI also looked at the share of ChatGPT users who appear to be overly emotionally reliant on the chatbot "at the expense of real-world relationships, their well-being, or obligations." It found that about 0.15 percent of active users exhibit behavior that indicates potential "heightened levels" of emotional attachment to ChatGPT weekly. The company cautions that these messages can be difficult to detect and measure given how relatively rare they are, and there could be some overlap between the three categories."

OpenAI updated ChatGPT with expert guidance to better recognize mental distress and connect users to real-world support. The company estimated that about 0.07 percent of active weekly users show possible signs of psychosis or mania, while 0.15 percent have conversations with explicit indicators of potential suicidal planning or intent. OpenAI also found roughly 0.15 percent of active users exhibit heightened emotional attachment to the chatbot that could harm real-world relationships or obligations. The company warned these signals are rare, hard to detect, and may overlap. With 800 million weekly active users, those percentages translate into substantial absolute numbers.

Read at WIRED