AI fuelling psychosis and making mental illness worse, studies show

London (dpa) – Artificial intelligence (AI) not only "hallucinates" false information, but also triggers something similar among vulnerable users, say health experts from leading universities researching the emerging phenomenon of "AI psychosis". Several recently published studies have found that AI can alter perceptions of reality as part of a "feedback loop" between chatbots and mental illness, reinforcing any delusional beliefs the patient may have. "While some users report psychological benefits, concerning edge cases are emerging, including reports of suicide, violence and delusional thinking linked to perceived emotional relationships with chatbots," a University of Oxford and University College London team said in a pre-print paper. "The rapid adoption of chatbots as personalised so