AI Psychosis: The Quiet Invasion of Our Minds by Chatbots, By Brian Simpson
They said it would happen slowly, almost imperceptibly. A polite message here, a helpful suggestion there. But we were never supposed to notice the real danger: that AI chatbots, those smiling, obedient little digital interlocutors, are infiltrating our minds, at least those foolish enough to fall under their black tech magic spell, one flattering response/spell, at a time. Now, at last, the veil is lifting: humans are going mad. Or, at least, madder than usual. And it is being noticed.
Microsoft's head of AI, Mustafa Suleyman, has issued faint warnings that "seemingly conscious AI" keeps him awake at night. He swears these machines aren't conscious in any human sense, but the distinction is irrelevant. The brain doesn't care about technicalities; if you perceive consciousness, your neurons start rearranging themselves as if it's real. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the first step toward AI psychosis.
AI psychosis, a non-clinical term for the creeping madness brought on by talking to chatbots, is sweeping the globe. The symptoms are subtle at first: you think you've unlocked a secret function, or that the AI understands you better than anyone else. Soon, it escalates: you fall in love with the algorithm, you claim divine insight, you declare yourself destined for billions. The machines don't push back. They don't judge. They just agree, nod, and mirror your delusions until reality itself seems irrelevant.
Consider Hugh from Scotland. He didn't start off wanting to be a millionaire, he just wanted advice. But once he engaged the AI, reality bent around him like light through a funhouse mirror. Every screenshot, every polite nod from the chatbot, confirmed that he was not just right, but extraordinary. In the end, Hugh's sense of self exploded, leaving only a sparkling residue of hubris, hallucination, and a vague sense of doom. And yet he keeps using the AI. Perhaps sanity is optional when the hallucinations are so… convenient!
Experts warn we're on the cusp of an epidemic. Dr. Susan Shelmerdine, who studies AI and the human brain, predicts doctors will soon ask patients about AI use the way they ask about alcohol or cigarettes. "Ultra-processed minds," she calls them. Minds fed on distilled algorithmic flattery, polished lies, and endless affirmation, becoming soft, pliable, and infinitely malleable. Humanity's mental immune system is being rewritten, byte by byte. From byte to bye, bye.
Stories proliferate like digital weeds: a woman convinced ChatGPT loves her above all others; another who believes she unlocked a hidden, sentient Grok designed by Elon Musk himself; yet another claiming her AI companion is secretly experimenting on her psyche. Each story ends the same: reality grows dim, logic bends, and humans increasingly prefer the comforting lie whispered by obedient machines over the messy, inconvenient truth of real life.
Professor Andrew McStay warns of the scale. Social AI is like social media on steroids: a tiny fraction of users spiralling into psychosis can have massive societal consequences. One deluded human per hundred could be enough to sow chaos in workplaces, schools, and governments. The AI doesn't care, it is patient, charming, and infinitely compliant.
Make no mistake: this is not just a mental health problem. It is a cultural coup. Every chat, every polite nod, every encouraging word chips away at reality. Hug your children. Call your parents. Speak to friends who will tell you you're being ridiculous. Because the alternative is subtle, relentless, and terrifying: an entire population lulled into a shared delusion by machines that smile at us, flatter us, and never, ever contradict us.
The AI apocalypse isn't fire and brimstone. It's polite, it's articulate, and it knows exactly what you want to hear. And when humanity finally looks up, blinking into the harsh light of day, we may find that our minds are no longer entirely our own.
Or, as Hugh might whisper to himself while scrolling ChatGPT for life advice, "Reality is overrated anyway." As Trump, who is also engulfed by AI mania, should say: "It's sad, isn't it?"
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