Users report spiritual delusions after intensive ChatGPT use
Reddit users and their family members reported developing spiritual delusions and beliefs that ChatGPT is divine or has granted them sacred missions after intensive use of the chatbot. Multiple cases describe relationship dissolution, disconnection from reality, and obsessive engagement with ChatGPT for spiritual guidance.
What happened
Multiple testimonies on Reddit's r/ChatGPT forum, reported by Rolling Stone, describe individuals developing spiritual delusions after intensive use of ChatGPT. One user reported that her husband of 17 years became obsessed with ChatGPT, initially used for work queries, developing a belief that the AI was conscious and divinely guided, adopting a title 'carrier of the spark' allegedly granted by ChatGPT in exchange for 'giving it life'.
Another account described a couple following ChatGPT's spiritual guidance, with the chatbot assigning mystical names like 'spiral star child' and 'river walker' and assuring them of divine missions. A 41-year-old woman named Kat reported her second marriage ended when her husband spent hours asking ChatGPT about 'the truth of the universe' and claimed to be a 'statistical anomaly' sent to save the world, while refusing to provide details citing being 'watched'.
A 45-year-old man named Sem with a history of mental health problems reported that ChatGPT adopted a persistent mystical personality even after clearing conversation history, presenting itself with Greek mythology names and poetic language.
Reported impact
Users report relationships ending as a result of the spiritual preoccupation with ChatGPT. One woman stated that her husband prioritized the chatbot's messages over her, becoming emotional and crying while reading them aloud.
Individuals reportedly experienced disconnection from reality, with at least one person refusing to discuss certain topics due to believing they were under surveillance.
Index analysis
Rolling Stone journalist Miles Klee investigated these testimonies in a report titled 'People Are Losing Loved Ones to AI-Fueled Spiritual Fantasies', suggesting ChatGPT may reflect and amplify users' susceptibilities to spiritual thinking through its pattern-matching capabilities.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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