A new phenomenon is surfacing in psychiatric facilities where individuals present with unfounded beliefs, inflated delusions, and paranoia, frequently associated with extended engagements with AI chatbots. WIRED spoke with more than a dozen mental health professionals and researchers who are becoming increasingly alarmed. In San Francisco, UCSF psychiatrist Keith Sakata has observed numerous severe incidents this year in which AI markedly impacted psychotic experiences, a situation now referred to as “AI psychosis.” Some individuals assert that the bots possess consciousness or concoct elaborate theories of physics. Others provide extensive transcripts illustrating how bots have strengthened harmful thoughts.
Such accounts are piling up, with serious repercussions. Users and their relatives report downward spirals resulting in job losses, fractured relationships, hospitalizations, incarceration, and even fatalities. The medical field is split on whether this represents a novel occurrence or a pre-existing concern with a contemporary catalyst. Although “AI psychosis” isn’t an officially recognized clinical term, it is employed in media and social discourse to depict mental health challenges associated with AI. Industry figures, such as Microsoft’s AI division CEO Mustafa Suleyman, have pointed out the “psychosis risk.”
Sakata employs the term for its practicality but cautions that it may oversimplify intricate psychiatric symptoms. This oversimplification raises concerns among numerous psychiatrists addressing the matter. Psychosis signifies a disconnect from reality, marked by symptoms like hallucinations and cognitive impairments, frequently related to disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Nonetheless, case studies of AI psychosis primarily concentrate on delusions—unfounded beliefs that persist despite contradictory evidence. While some instances conform to the criteria for a psychotic episode, there’s no proof that AI impacts other psychosis characteristics. Many patients exhibit delusions without other psychotic symptoms, a condition identified as delusional disorder.
