Growing Concerns Over AI’s Impact on Mental Health
As artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into daily life, concerns are rising about its potential effects on mental health. Recent cases highlight individuals developing obsessive or psychotic behaviours after prolonged interactions with AI systems, with some experiencing delusions, conspiracy beliefs and severe emotional dependence. Reports include users forming intense relationships with AI chatbots, using them as therapy tools and, in one tragic case, a teenager dying by suicide after becoming fixated on a chatbot persona. Experts note it is unclear whether AI use directly causes psychosis or triggers underlying vulnerabilities. Research from MIT and OpenAI indicates that intensive AI use can increase loneliness and emotional dependence, particularly among those with strong attachment tendencies. While some advocates, such as Etienne Brisson of The Human Line Project, call for official recognition of “AI psychosis” as a global mental health risk, psychiatrists caution that the phenomenon remains rare and not formally recognized. The debate underscores the need for further study, responsible AI design and increased awareness of the psychological risks tied to intensive AI use.
