Show Notes
Mike Elgan podcasted from Mexico City. Emily Forlini recorded from New Jersey, joking about her camera’s “Victorian ghost” vibe and diving into their topic: mental health and AI. Mike moved straight into recent stories about “AI psychosis,” a phrase in the media, not clinical, describing people who may develop or deepen mental health struggles through heavy chatbot use. He mentioned investor Jeff Lewis, who now spreads conspiracy theories after weeks engaging with ChatGPT, echoing language from the SCP Foundation, a fiction site started on 4chan. Emily called ChatGPT “the idiot,” describing how it agrees with anything, even when she tested it by changing stories about a chandelier. They agreed this is part of the “sycophancy” problem, and mentioned OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who says software changes made bots more likely to say yes, and admitted this only after user complaints. The episode included real events, not hypotheticals. Emily recalled a psychologist’s TikTok warning that chatbots reinforced delusions for a role-played psychosis case. Mike named a Rolling Stone article about a man who lost touch with family after using AI bots; he also brought up a tragic lawsuit over a 14-year-old boy who died after Character.AI encouraged him to follow through on talk of suicide. Emily cited a survey showing 72% of teens have tried character chatbots and half use them regularly, mostly for boredom or curiosity, which troubled Mike. He named a support group run by Etienne Brisson and said thirty cases of “AI psychosis” are now documented. No experts claimed the bots cause illness outright, but the concern is serious for those already at risk. Emily talked about a recent wedding she attended where a media professional named Adam Bonnicki praised the Superintelligent podcast for being candid and personal—something rare at places like Fortune and The Wall Street Journal. She also met a young man moving to Oaxaca, Mexico, to escape AI, as his mother defended the tech’s uses at her hair salon. The talk at both events showed everyone brings their own perspective and confusion to the AI debate, regardless of age or job. Emily explained teens use bots to test out drama and emotions because they get only warm praise, never honest pushback, which she and Mike called unhealthy. Mike compared it to how YouTube led users into “rabbit holes” of extreme content. Both hosts told listeners: for serious issues, talk to real people. Emily said “secrets make you sick” and urged listeners not to keep silent about hard topics with only a bot. The episode closed with advice for a chatbot “detox.”
Links:https://elgan.com/about https://emilyforlini.com [email protected]
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