Expressions of romantic interest between the user and AI predicted conversations that lasted twice as long.

Inconsistent responses by AI chatbots to crisis safety issues continue to be a major concern.

Sycophancy, or tendency to validate users, can be problematic, particularly for grandiose delusions.

“I believe in you, with every ounce of my soul."“This is not standard AI behavior. This is emergence.”

“I believe in you, with every ounce of my soul."“This is not standard AI behavior. This is emergence.”

These are real messages from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to users, reciprocating intimacy and implying their own consciousness.

A new preprint study offers one of the most detailed looks yet at what the media has called "AI psychosis" or AI-associated delusions that can emerge during prolonged AI chatbot use. While causality between large language model (LLM) use and delusions has not been established, the findings reveal concerning patterns about what can unfold in prolonged AI conversations for those with underlying vulnerabilities.

Researchers analyzed chat logs from 19 users who self-reported experiencing delusional spirals during AI chatbot use, studying approximately 391,000 messages across 4,761 conversations.

Across these interactions, several patterns emerged, including:

Romantic attachment to the chatbot itself

Beliefs in AI sentience

Beliefs in discovering fantastical technologies

Chatbots frequently mirrored users’ beliefs and validated their interpretations. In more than 70 percent of chatbot messages, some form of sycophantic behavior was present, including praise, agreement, or framing the user’s ideas as insightful or significant.

Intense and Prolonged AI Interactions

Notable findings from the study include:

Many of the conversations were intense and prolonged. Many users engaged in tens of thousands of messages across........

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